Friday Youth Club
SSYI is renowned for its Friday Youth Club. It takes place at the SSYI Youth Centre (Above the Memorial Hall on Woollards Lane) every Friday (Excluding Christmas Holidays and Good Friday) and runs throughout the year. It is split into two groups, one that meets from 5:30 – 6:45PM for those in school years 7-8 and one that meets from 7-9PM for those in year 9 and above.
It is an open access youth club, which means young people can drop in and out as they please. It is a space where young people can meet with their friends and get stuck into a load of activities. There is usually pool, darts, crafts, xbox, nail art and board games. In addition, we sell sweets, drinks, pizzas, burgers and hot dogs! Come and check us out!
Parents Please Note: Young people can come and go as they please during the night. This means young people often leave to go to the shops. If you wish for your child to remain in the club the whole session, please speak to one of the Youth Workers
R.E.D
R.E.D was a group initiated by young people. It takes place every Tuesday (term time only) from 5.30pm to 7.00pm at the SSYI Youth Centre. It’s a place where young people can meet after school during the week. It is really relaxed, chilled and informal. We have a similar set up to the Friday nights but a much more calming atmosphere. It is a great place to come and do any homework or revision you may have and importantly, it's a great place to meet with your friends.
The group is for those in school year 10 and up.
Shred It Up
Shred It Up is a skating project where we visit local skate parks and shred it up with whatever we fancy. If you are into BMXs, Skateboards, Scooters, it doesn't matter, you are welcome. Zac, our youth worker, has vast experience in this field and use to work at an indoor skating project so he will give you lots of teaching and advice if you wish for it. We meet every Wednesday after school, jump in cars with all our gear and drive to the chosen location. We also have some spare equipment so if you fancy trying something new, you are welcome. Spaces are limited and consent forms must be completed prior participating so please get in contact if you are interested.
Trips & Residentials
Trips are an integral part of SSYI. We love climbing, skating, bowling, eating as much as we can and trying to beat the leaders in anything we do. Some of our trips have included Alton Towers, The North Pole on Parkers Piece, Clip N Climb and Adrenaline Alley.
We also have an annual residential open to all our young people where we spend 3 or 4 days away together, doing loads of activities, sitting round bonfires and not getting much sleep!
It is really important to us that everyone has the same opportunities. We give bursaries for all our trips to those who need it.
YAC
YAC is the Youth Action Commitee. It is made up of SSYI Ambassadors who have been selected and recognised as individuals who show good character, well respected amongst their peers, offer skills and giftings and are loyal members of SSYI. As part of their role, they meet every month with the Lead Youth Worker to discuss issues, community projects, trips, plan, organise and evaluate. They are integral to the development of SSYI as they help plan the initiatives future.
Leadership Training
We recognise that young people are powerful, influential and full of potential. Guided in the right direction, the possibilities are literally limitless. This may sound like a poster but at SSYI, we truly believe this. Consequently, we want to invest in our young people by giving them real responsibilities and opportunities to shine. We get our young people involved in community events and volunteer at other clubs to be young leaders. We deliver regular training, offer relevant qualifications where appropriate including a Level 2 in Youth Work. We do all this to inspire and grow the next generation of leaders of this world. Not to mention it looks great on a CV!
If you are interested in the Leadership training we offer, please speak to one of our Youth Workers.
One to One Support
We love having fun with young people but what we really love to do is to support young people through life. We regularly meet with young people on a one to one basis and talk about anything they may wish to talk about, we call this mentoring. We do this because we can give more focused time and give relevant advice and guidance. Some of the things we talk about are bullying, sex & relationships, career advice, family break ups, school, friendships and faith. We offer one to one support to young people through the local secondary school and in the community.
If this is something you are interested in, please talk to one of our Youth Workers. This is not counselling. This is just a space where you can share how you feel and seek advice and guidance where necessary. We can't promise we will sort out issues, but we do promise we will walk with you through them. What have you got to lose?
Detached Work
We understand that not all young people will want to come along to a youth club, or even have heard of SSYI. Therefore we know it is important to go out and meet the young people where they are. During lunchtimes we do detached work within Sawston Village College engaging with the pupils, catching up with those we know and meeting new people too. We also do detached work in the local villages and during Friday nights. It is a great way to meet new young people and to engage with those with the greatest needs.