How we operate - team structure;

The structure of the team as is exists at the moment is as follows:

Trustee

Director

Lead youth workers

Trainee youth workers

The Director is fully accountable to a named trustee of The Sycamore Tree Trust. A Lead youth worker is experienced and/or qualified in youth work and is paid whereas a Trainee worker usually comes with little or no experience. Trainees generally come to Youth-180° for a year out however, many choose to stay on and go onto paid employment.

Workers are based in schools during the day (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays). Cube and Church work takes place in evenings and at weekends. On Wednesdays the whole team are based at The Cube for our development day. This includes prayer and worship, training, planning, administration and promotional work.

Lead workers are normally paired up with a Trainee worker in a school, college, church or youth centre situation. This allows the Trainee to gain from the Lead workers experience, to be nurtured and developed in their role.

British Youth for Christ (YFC) is a national Christian organisation that we chose to affiliate ourselves with. We do so because we fully believe in "taking good news relevantly to young people" (the YFC vision statement). For more info please visit their website www.yfc.co.uk

Vision and Aims

As an organisation we adopt the vision statement of Youth For Christ. Our local vision statement is:

"Taking good news relevantly to young people in Nuneaton & Bedworth"

This is not just a Christian statement. As an organisation we want to see young peoples lives impacted in a positive way. Our logo effectively shows what we stand for. Our "180°" arrow and "life from a different angle" strap line underlines our desire to help young people develop as young adults and to encourage them away from negative influences in their lives.

School aims:

  To present the Christian faith in a relevant way and to challenge stereotypes. 

  To provide support networks for all students in school.
  To support and nurture young Christians in their faith in God.
  To be servant hearted and assist the school wherever we can.
  Assist in the social, emotional, spiritual, moral and educational needs of young people.

Church aims:
  To help train and assist youth workers in churches.
  Support existing church youth work or instigate it.

  Empower Christian young people to be active for God in their community.
  To mobilise young people into action within their church.
  To disciple and nurture young people in their faith in God.

History

Youth-180° was previously known as the "Nuneaton Youth Development Project". This started back in 1997 with two youth workers following a vision by a local headteacher and grant from "Crusaders", a national Christian youth organisation of which Cliff Richard is the patron. The two workers were based at a local secondary school and inputting into the RE department and assemblies. Things have evolved considerably since then. In 1999 the project linked to a local Christian trust, The Sycamore Tree Trust and affiliated to Youth For Christ, an international organisation. The project was also supported by Nuneaton Christians Together (representing 20 local churches in Nuneaton).

In 2001 a new director was appointed and the project changed its name to Youth-180°. The old name was not only very wordy and not very youth friendly but it restricted the work to Nuneaton and Youth-180 was expanding. The 180 in the title is officially written, 180° and fits in hand in hand with our caption "life from a different angle". We aim, as an organisation, to see young peoples lives turned around, from not knowing Christ to journeying with Christ.

Things expanded in 2001 and Youth-180° began working in two schools and the team consisted of three Lead and several Trainee workers. The head office for the organisation remained in the secondary school in which the work began however, further visions developed of gaining a central, neutral base for Youth-180 in Nuneaton town centre.

In 2003 the team consisted of seven workers and work was being carried out in four secondary schools and five churches. The office base moved from the school to a local church building. A section of this building was obtained in partnership with the Methodist circuit and we renamed it "The Cube" as our youth centre and head office.

Today in 2006 we have 6 full time workers and work in 1 Nuneaton primary school and 8 of the 9 secondary schools in Nuneaton & Bedworth. We are currently partnering with ten churches. The Cube has become an established youth centre and is used for interschool and interchurch events as well as youth groups, 24/7 prayer and team training.