The Venue @ Plas Madoc Youth Club 
The Venue @ Plas Madoc Youth Club was opened on 29th March 2005 to provide activities for people on Plas Madoc aged between 8 and 25 years old. PMCF had received lots of requests for this services since the old Youth Partnership was closed down some 2 years earlier leaving nothing to offer young people.
PMCF applied for funding from the Welsh Assembly Government, which made it possible to re-furbish and re-equip the building in Peris and employ a team of Youth Workers to supervise and engage with young people. Although it offers typical youth club activities such as pool, music and computers, The Venue @ Plas Madoc aims to provide a more constructive support service for young people, particularly as they move into adulthood. This includes Duke of Edinburgh Awards and peer mentoring projects.
DETACHED YOUTH WORKERS
The detached team are out and about each Monday, Wednesday & Friday evening from 6pm till 9pm, please feel free to approach us with any suggestion's or problem's that you feel we may be of assistance with, alternatively contact 01978 813910.
Adventure Play Ground
Plas Madoc Communities First is planning to develop an Adventure Play Ground on the estate. This adventure play ground is for you the kids, therefore, we would love your views on the design. Maybe you would like to see a zip wire, slides, swings, tunnels, sand anything you think will be fun, you can work together with staff to make this play ground a perfect place to go and play with your friends.
The Get Out and Play team are holding workshops on Wednesdays starting on Wednesday the 18 th of March from 4.00p.m 6.00p.m at the Opportunity Centre. You will have the chance to build your very own model of the Adventure Park , making mini equipment to go in it so you get an idea of how it can look; we even have mini people to put in your model playground!
So come along and have your say and build your own mini Adventure Playground.
We hope to see you on Wednesday
PRISON VISIT
On Nov 4th along with staff from PMCF, TWL and North Wales Police 13 young people were given a tour of Altcourse prison and later shown the Choose Life play given by the prisoners themselves. Whilst there the young people were shown the booking in process that prisoners have to go through on arrival, the cells on one of the wings, a workshops where many prisoners work 8 hours a day for only £3.05 on a good day. The play that was performed by the prisoners was intended to show how easy it is for drug and alcohol misuse to end in a custodial sentence. Some of the young people had been told it was a holiday camp in prison by their mates and this trip certainly made them think differently and see the reality of prison life for themselves for a short period
One of the young people that attended this visit, Kelsey Hesp said Going there has made me think about what I am doing now and I have thought twice before I have drink and I think it has made a difference for a lot of us that went
GUNJUR TRIP
Following the success of the visit to the Gunjur village in The Gambia earlier this year Plas Madoc Communities First are offering 7 young people the chance to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity again. This trip will take place in Feb 09 and the young people have already been through the selection process and have been working hard on various fundraising projects including a variety of stalls and activities at the Summer Fair including the popular stocks activity where some of the group and staff got very wet!!!
The young people who will be visiting the Gunjur in Feb 09.
TWL kindly donated £300 worth of football kit to the Gunjur staff team which the young people were able to hand over to staff from the project whilst helping to load a container full of donated items such as clothes, toys and classroom/ teaching equipment which are all headed out to The Gambia. Some of these items had been kindly donated by Plas Madoc residents and so a very big thankyou to you all. The container was set to arrive late October and the items will be donated between local schools and families.
DANCE GROUP
The senior dance group meet every Monday eve from 6. 30pm to 8pm, at the Opportunity Centre, all welcome to attend. (Minimum age 12)
The junior dance group will return training on September 10th ,at Rhosymedre Junior School hall they will be working on a new routine for the Plas Madoc has talent evening (date t.b.c) Time 5pm till 7.pm. A small fee of £1 will be required. Refreshments included.
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY
Plas Madoc Dance Group The LJays give a demonstration at Plas Madoc's International Youth Day celebration.
Plas Madoc Communities First celebrated International Youth Day on Tuesday 12 th August on Plas Madoc Leisure Centre's car park. Despite the weather the day was a great success. Organisations that attended were In 2 change, the children and young people drug and alcohol service who provided fun and informed education with the drug box and beer goggles. Inspire youth workers from the hospital project spoke to young people about emotional health and well being. Our Gunjur group also displayed information and pictures about their forthcoming trip. We also had Wrexham Fire Station, Play Wales, Plas Madoc Get Out and Play, BBQ, face painting, and the young people also designed their own t-shirt and Recycle With Michael outfits.Over 150 people attended the day. PMCF would like to thank all those who supported the event and particularly the Leisure Centre for agreeing the use of the car park and also Streetscene for assisting with the clean-up.
Winners of the Recycle with Michael fashion show model their creations made from recycled materials. L-R: Charlotte Thompson, Macy Williams, Lucy Thompson, Robyn Williams and Megan Williams.
Local young person Eddie Bryne has attend a two day course in Manchester with two members of staff from Communities First. Eddie attended the two separate training courses in Dreamweaver cs3 level 1, and Dreamweaver cs3 level 2 advanced. This training was not for the faint hearted and involved Eddie having to show the staff what to do on occasions throughout the course.
The end goal will be for Eddie to go forward and help design a new website for The Venue youth club, from scratch. So if you would like to pass on some of your ideas to help Eddie and other young people from Plas Madoc create this new and exciting website call into The Venue or phone 01978 813910.
Wrexham Youth Justice Service is currently looking for volunteers to assist in all areas of our work. There are a number of ways you can volunteer with the YJS depending on your availability. These include:
• Being a Referral Order Panel member
• Mentoring a young person on a one-to-one basis
• Acting as an Appropriate Adult when young people are in custody
• Helping to deliver group work sessions
• Supporting victims
A training programme, support and supervision are provided that will develop your skills to work effectively with young people. A positive attitude and your time is all we require. All expenses are paid. Your life experience is important to us, and applications from volunteers who have criminal convictions may be considered decisions are made on a case by case basis.
The next round of foundation training for volunteers will take place in May 2008.
If you would like an application form, further information or an informal discussion about volunteering please contact Hayley Douglas on 01978 268140 or email hayley.douglas@wrexham.gov.uk
The group of eight youth who will be travelling from Plas Madoc to The Gambia in January recently participated in a team-building residential at Nantyr Outdoor Education Centre. Completing a number of team-work exercises and kayaking together, the group bonded and got used to working and travelling together. They also participated in a quiz about the Gambia and discussed their hopes and fears for The Gunjur Project trip. The group were also featured on BBC Radio Wales. With only nine weeks until departure, they are now concentrating on their final fundraisers: the Talent Show at Plas Madoc Leisure Centre on November 16 th, and an evening of musical entertainment at The George Edwards Hall, Cefn Mawr on November 24th .
   
In January 2008, a group of young people from Plas Madoc will travel to the village of Gunjur in The Gambia, West Africa . Here, they will participate in The Gunjur Project ' - a series of cultural and educational experiences, taking place over the course of a week. The group will have the chance to see how life in The Gambia compares to life in North Wales and will be able to see for themselves the differences in school provision, community life and values.
Whilst out in The Gambia, the youth will have the opportunity to:
- Visit a local school
- Shadow a Gambian for a day
- Participate in discussions with Gambian youth groups
- Take a Beach and Bush Safari
- Join local football and dance groups
- Take part in an African drum workshop
- Make donations, on behalf of Plas Madoc, to local good causes
- Tour the capital city, Banjul
- Haggle in local markets
- Meet crocodiles!
- Learn about the terrible history of the Slave Trade on a Roots Tour
- Braid their hair!
Currently, the group are getting to know one another better as they prepare for this trip of a lifetime. They are researching the country they will visit and making the preparations necessary to ensure the trip will be a success. The group is also busy organising various fundraising activities which they must complete in order to make this dream a reality. If you wish to make a donation to Plas Madoc Gunjur Project , please contact Ben Leather on 01978 813910 or ben.leather@plasmadoc.org .
Background to The Gambia
Following the River Gambia and surrounded by Senegal , this tiny country is West Africa at its most accessible. Stable, peaceful, affordable and only a 6-hour flight from the UK , this former British colony has been a popular winter holiday destination for four decades. Nevertheless, tourism exists in only a few beach spots, and you can fully immerse yourself in the real West Africa here too. By travelling up-country, where you'll discover picturesque mud-built villages, rice fields and palm groves, vibrant markets where you can haggle over batiks and balafons, and local festivals always outgoing displays of colour, energy and noise.
Facts about The Gambia :
- The Gambia is roughly the size of Yorkshire
- The Gambia is one of the world's poorest countries, with an average annual income of less than £200
- The country's beaches and biodiversity are what bring tourists back year on year.
- Malaria is a risk in The Gambia. To be safe, our group will take antimalarial drugs and try and keep their skin covered from mosquitoes where possible.
- Gambian currency is the Dalasi. £1 is around 50 Dalasi
- The first Europeans in The Gambia were Portuguese, but The Gambia was formally a British Colony from 1889 to 1965 the first African nation to b colonised by the British, and their last to get independence.
- The Gambia was central in the Slave Trade.
- Yahya Jammeh has been President since 1994, when he took control of the country in a military coup. However, the country now holds democratic elections, generally deemed to be free and fair.
- Ninety per cent of the population is Muslim, but there are many different tribes and languages.
Background to The Gunjur Project
The Gunjur Project Ltd. Is a purpose built residential centre for young people. It is located on the edge of a busy fishing village in Gunjur, the Gambia , West Africa . Established in 2005, The Gunjur Project has facilitated visits for youth groups and schools whilst working closely with the local community. The aim of The Gunjur Project is to provide an educational experience for young people from the developed world. It aims to promote an understanding of what it means to be a global citizen in the 21 st century by providing an African adventure
The Gunjur Project aims to
- Provide challenging intercultural learning experiences for young people and other visitors
- Promote cultural and social development
- Provide opportunities for intercultural learning
- Promote inter-cultural understanding, equality of opportunity, and a rich learning experience for teenagers
- Provide a safe and secure structure for teenage participants, and others, so they can focus on the experience
- Tailor Programmes to suit individual group requirements
- Enable young people to receive accreditation for their intercultural learning
- Give visitors the rare opportunity of travelling deep into the heart of a community arriving as a welcomed guest and, one week later, leaving as a trusted friend.
Background to our group
Ten 15-18 year-olds are participating in the preparation for Plas Madoc Gunjur Project . All these youngsters live on Plas Madoc and have had to complete an application form, describing why they want to travel to The Gambia. All ten must now prove their keenness through good behaviour, regular attendance at preparatory events, and a big effort to fundraise.
Fundraising so far has included:
- A stall at the Plas Madoc Summer Fayre
- Voluntary work at with Plas Madoc Communities First, in return for donations
- A sponsored climb of Mount Snowdon , the highest peak in England and Wales
- A Mobile Disco hire
- A raffle
Ideas for future events include:
- An evening of musical entertainment
- A Plas Madoc's Got Talent' Show
- A Street Collection in Wrexham Town Centre
- A Disco
For further information on Plas Madoc Gunjur Project , please contact Ben Leather st The Opportunity Centre (01978 813910, ben.leather@plasmadoc.org)
WANT TO STOP SMOKING?
Are you aged 12-19?
Do you want to pack in smoking?
Don't know how to do it?
Then meet Lindsey at The Venue on Wednesday 25th July from 7pm
Speak to the Youth Workers if you are interested.
Or pop into the Opportunity Centre and speak to Dale
Staff
The Venue @ Plas Madoc is staffed by a team of qualified youth workers and receives the support of additional WCBC youth worker staff.
Contact
The Venue @ Plas Madoc, 46-47 Peris, Plas Madoc, Wrexham, LL14 1LF.
Phone: 01978 822786
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