People and communities
Traditional free youth club launched in Bloxwich
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A new free youth club, partly funded by Walsall Council, has officially launched in Blakenall Heath, Bloxwich.
The club is suitable for young people aged between 7-16 and will be delivered by the Positive Outcomes Project (P.O.P) youth team, which is part of the Bloxwich Community Partnership (BCP).
Walsall Council has contributed £100,000 in 2023/24, alongside New Horizons Community Enterprise, as part of ongoing funding to develop additional youth activities including centre-based and detached work through BCP.
The youth clubs will be hosted at The Electric Palace (based alongside Palace Play, Shop, Eat) on Blakenall Row, Bloxwich, Monday to Thursday.
The venue offers a host of activities for youngsters to get involved in, including a pool table, table tennis, technology and games.
Grace, Youth Service Manager at BCP, will lead the project alongside Nic, who has previously worked as a prison officer, and Liam, who has a background in sport.
Grace said, “We feel like there is a need for young people to be engaged in services to help relieve boredom, to empower young people and to give them a sense of ownership over their life choices and the decisions that they make.
“We wanted to give the young people of Blakenall a place where they can come to be themselves and to support their emotional, social, mental, and physical development.
“During our launch week, we had more than 100 young people register for our services and over 70 have engaged with our free youth club sessions."
The project also delivers ‘P.O.P Health & Wellbeing’ sessions, which are aimed at supporting those aged 16 to 25.
These sessions are held across the week (excluding Thursday) from three different centres, Electric Palace, The Manor Farm Shop in The Saddlers Centre and Pleck Youth Club.
The project will also provide a pop-up drop-in service through a youth bus, allowing the team to get to areas that may benefit from the service.
Councillor Garry Perry, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Resilient Communities at Walsall Council, said: “The support offered by BCP is vital in reaching the young people in our communities.
“I think launching a youth club in the heart of Blakenall, an area which has been the subject of negative press recently, is a step in the right direction.
“I encourage any young person or parent in the borough to engage with the team, they are brilliant and passionate individuals we are lucky to have guide the next generation."
More information about the clubs found at bloxwichcp.co.uk or at ‘POP Youth Project’ on Facebook.
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