Friday Night Project

In partnership with West Yorkshire Police Service, Shipley Area Committee and Bradford Youth Service, we use our Mobile Outreach Venue to offer an informal drop-in service where young people can engage in a range of activities and also get advice on alcohol awareness and sexual health.

  

The venue brings together young people with different backgrounds and interests. 

Between August 2010 and March 2011 we worked in Myrtle Park in Bingley, engaging 156 young people in a range of sporting activities, cooking and creative activities rather than binge drinking.

We have seen young people with rucksacks full of alcohol put aside their drinks and become enthusiastically involved in preparing and cooking meals, and making non-alcoholic cocktails. 

“I come down to the park to smoke and drink... the bus looked ace, me and T walked over, we put us bags of booze down and then got hooked on cooking... I’ve been coming without the booze now for 5 weeks!”

 

Through our creative approach to Chlamydia screening, we have contributed to reducing the infection rate in Bingley from 9% to 7%. Anti-social behaviour calls to the police from Bingley reduced from 42 in August 2010 to 29 in November 2010.

 

“I wouldn’t go to my GP for a Chlamydia screen or ask for condoms, but you came to us”

 

“I just wanted to drop you an email to say what a great job I think you are doing down in Myrtle Park, Bingley.  My two boys look forward to visiting ‘The Van’ with their friends on a Friday night, and talk to us so openly about STDs, which delights me… Keep up the good work.”

The Friday Night Project is currently running in Windhill, working with Groundworks to create graffiti artwork in the skate park off Crag Road.  Read more...