Forward Plans

Forward Plans

2025

Is all about establishing the charity and making sure it is properly structured and resources.

Our key operational aims for the year are:

Premises

To develop the North Shields Shop and to secure the partners and investment to turn that into a vocational hub and a community focus for the work of the charity.

Projects and Activities

• To run a range of youth and sports activities to support at least 100 young people on an ongoing basis and towards personal development and achievement. providing links with professional athletes and including football, boxing and multis-ports activities for all abilities.

• To launch a mentoring project, Attain, working with 25 referred young people and deploying a volunteer mentoring programme to support engagement, wellbeing and progression. At least 20 young people and 25 mentors year 1.

• To run an exchange adventure event, whether sailing or a foreign development project in a third world country to expand horizons and support personal development

2026-27

Will be about further developing our services and project and acquiring additional community development opportunities, building our resources and finances and mapping where we can most help and make a difference.

That will include at least two more shops and a wide range of mentoring, sports and support projects.

By 2027 we aim to be working with at least 300 young people each year and to be doing so in at least two locations.

Ten Year Plan

By 2035 we want to be a charity with a regional footprint supporting many hundreds of young people. We want to be providing opportunities and activities that make a real and lasting difference to young people and communities, working where it matters most and we can make the most difference.

We aim to be not only an organisation and a charity but also a movement for change and transformation.

Our services.

  • Community Engagement

    Community Engagement

    Collaboration and partnership is key to best outcomes and effective support. We work as a catalyst for co-operation and to ensure we complement what other agencies are doing in a young persons live. That includes, health and social service, police and education as well as other community groups.

    Other Youth activities

    We run a wide range of youth projects and activities across sports, music, adventure and outdoor pursuit activities to inspire and expand young people’s ambitions and aspirations and support their personal development, to combat mental health challenges and to build bridges into employment and education.

  • Aspire Mentoring Project

    Youth mentoring and support - Launches march 2025

    Our part-time project co-ordinator supports 30 -40 matched and trained volunteers who work with around 25 young people throughout the year. Volunteers are drawn from the wider community to bring life and work experience and to promote diversity and effective matching.

    Young People are referred to us from schools, pupil referral units, alternative education providers, youth offending teams and other partner agencies.

    One young person attending a young offenders institution will cost £180,000 per annum. The whole project costs less than £50,000 and changes and transforms young lives.

  • Into Employment

    By developing relationships with vulnerable or at risk young people and creating opportunities for personal development and vocational skills, we create careers and positive lifestyles.

    Part of that is using our Hoodex Charity Shop in North Shields to provide work experience opportunities and leveraging our corporate connections to provide further upskill opportunities. There will be similar enterprises in Newcastle and Sunderland in due course.

    As this area of our work develops we will be providing skills workshops with input from local business people and entrepreneurs.

    Lifting confidence and personal expectations is a key aspect of helping young people to move forward.

Make It