The Kirkby Trust is a registered charity (number 1040068) and company limited by guarantee (registration number 02951975) serving Ashfield in Nottinghamshire and surrounding areas.

We provide educational, recreational and social activities for young people and their families and we provide support and accommodation to homeless 16 - 25 year olds.

The Holistic Intensive Project

The Trustees and staff at The Kirkby Trust are concerned that on occasions we see the same young people presenting at out hostel, and at hostels managed by other organisations. These young people are trapped in a cycle of homelessness and the longer they stay within the cycle the harder it is for them to break out into independent living.

The Holistic Intensive Project is an innovative project that provides an intensive capacity building programme and also addresses the multiple needs of each young person in the most appropriate and timely way. The proposal is to deliver a holistic and intensive three month programme to three cohorts of six young people in each calendar year. During the 4 weeks between each programme residents will be supported into move on accommodation and the next cohort inducted into the programme. Each week the young people will undertake the following:

• 1½ days accredited training including; Basic skills literacy and numeracy, entry to employment skills and basic IT skills
• 1 day lifeskills training including; Dealing with authority, Sexual health, Budgeting, Substance misuse, Personal hygiene, Personal health, Cleaning
• 1 day work experience
• 1 day outward bound activities to build self esteem and self confidence including; Climbing and scrambling, Abseiling, Orienteering, Bushcraft and survival skills, Hill walking, Team/trust building exercises
• ½ day personal support to access appropriate services including health services, support agencies, welfare rights advice etc.

HIP Pilot Schemes

In October 2009 the Trust was able to access £10,000 of funding via the County Council Youth Service aimed at providing Positive Activities for Young People (PAYP) in order to reduce anti-social behaviour and offending. The Trust matched this funding with £10,000 from its free reserves and was also able to vary the final installment of the Lottery funding for the Lifeskills Programme in order to deliver a mini HIP style programme to 15 young people during the second half of 2009/2010.

The programme consisted of two parts. Firstly 8 x 1 day sessions of lifeskills and personal development training based on the Youth Service’s Eastbourne Programme. This included sessions on:

• Self Image
• Sexual health, relationships and responsibility
• Drug and alcohol awareness
• Understanding emotions and assertiveness
• Healthy living

The second part was 8 x 1 day outward bound sessions delivered by Derwent pursuits in the Peak District including:

The programme culminated in a 3 day residential which brought together the skills that the group had acquired as the young people themselves planned the activities and menus, budgeted and shopped for and prepared the meals, and planned the programme of activities.