Connections for life

Carving out a bright future . . . Chelssi with her daughter Elisia-Leigh and Connexions adviser Rachel Raza (left)

GROWING up is hard to do, but when you’re a neet (a young person not in education, employment or training) the dice are hardly stacked in your favour.

And the problem with the NEET phenomenon is that it is not just an easy soundbite for a disaffected youth. It is tangled up with all manner of tricky social problems like crime, teenage pregnancy and unemployment. But Oldham is fighting back with the North-West’s first targeted support centre. Chronicle reporter Jennifer Hollamby found out more.

IN MEDTIA place in Union Street, Oldham’s young people are carving out altogether brighter futures.

The centre is a key weapon in Oldham’s battle to drive down teen pregnancy and NEET rates. And if the latest figures are anything to go by, it is already reaping rewards.

NEET figures, which focus on 16-18 year-olds, have been tumbling in Oldham, at 7.1 per cent, lower than the average rate in our neighbouring boroughs, which stands at 10.9 per cent, and the North-West average of 7.8 per cent.

Teen pregnancy rates have dropped off even more considerably, with a 36.4 per cent reduction since 1998.

And, just as the reasons why young people end up facing bleak futures are numerous and varied, so the solution is equally multi-faceted.

Contraception is now more accessible to Oldham’s young people through the centre health team and if teenagers do become mums, the centre is there to ensure that they are supported back into education, training and employment, with regular drop-in groups for teenage parents.

The groups provide them with access to a midwife, Sure Start services, a contraceptive nurse and parenting advice.

There is also an ante-natal group which looks at different issues such as stopping smoking, career options, health and weaning and the role of social services.

One young mum who has benefited from the centre is 17-year-old Chelssi.

She said: “The centre has really helped me because when I became pregnant I had to defer from college as I was supposed to be doing dance.

“I was able to see the midwife at the centre, and also did some cooking lessons, which showed me what sort of things I can cook with my daughter when she is old enough.

“The Connexions service helped me to get a place at college and I am going to go and do business administration. I wouldn’t have been able to do these things without the services at the centre.”

Computers are available at the centre for job searching as well as job clubs and CV workshops, which help the young people get a firm footing on a solid career path.

Workshops aimed at improving self-esteem, managing anger and money management also improve their prospects.

Lisa Bambrough (17) believes she would still be a NEET now if it wasn’t for the help she’s had from Connexions.

She said: “I always wanted to become a hairdresser, but was suffering from really low self-esteem and didn’t feel able to go to college.

“I attended some self-esteem sessions at The Centre, on a one-to-one basis, and then in group sessions and these really helped me.

“Connexions also found out when the enrolment date was for hairdressing at college, and helped me fill in my form.

“When I got a place on the course they even got my uniform for me. Without all this help I would definitely still be at home now, instead I am really enjoying my college course and have just got a place on the next level for next year.”

Chief executive of Positive Steps Oldham, Tim Mitchell, said: “The aim of this service is to provide young people with access to all the agencies and facilities they may need under one roof.

And with more than 34,000 visits to the centre in 2008-09, as well as 7,200 visits in the first quarter of this year alone, there is no denying its appeal.

Centre manager Martin Sutton said: “I think the centre is so successful because it’s easy to get to and also has extended opening hours, including late nights and weekends.”

Council leader Howard Sykes said: “Oldham’s extremely high level of young people in employment, education or training should be a real source of pride for everyone in the borough, as it is for me. It’s some achievement that young people can grow up here knowing they have the same opportunities and can aim as high as their peers in other, perhaps more affluent parts of the country.”