KPC Youth - Kenfig Hill, Pyle and Cornelly youth
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History - Here follos a history of KPC youth from conception to the present day

Why We Were Formed...

KPC Youth was formed in 1998, following the tragic drugs related death of the 18 year old son of our founder – Helena Parboij. Helena and a group of other local people in the community decided to address the problem of lack of facilities for young people in the area and, set about creating somewhere they could go, safe and free from drugs and alcohol. The aim of the center has always been to offer diversionary activities in a fun environment which young people WANT to attend, keeping them off the streets and away from the potential dangers of boredom and ‘hanging around street corners’, eg: drug/alcohol abuse, youth disturbances, petty crime etc.

KPC Youth was established as a charity on 2 April 1998 – and seeks out its own funds, formed in response to the lack of facilities in a socially deprived community.

The centre opened to young people aged 8 – 25 years on the 28th of November 1998 and has gone from strength to strength since its formation, with around 750 young people on our register! Nightly attendance is often as high as 120 young people!

What do we Offer Young People?

We aim to work with our members to offer them the activities and access the information and training that they want. We run regular advice courses, such as drug awareness, first aid, bullying and racism, road safety, sexual health etc.

We also work with the local comprehensive school, with pupils at risk of exclusion, offering alternative learning in basic skills and the ASDAN course, to enable them to achieve some recognized qualifications before they leave school.

At KPC, members get the chance to meet friends, play pool, table tennis, use computers, take part in art/craft activities, learn music and undertake DJ workshops, dance & drama. We also have a fantastic outdoor area with an adventure play park for younger members, a multi – games area for 5-a-side football, basketball, etc, a BMX track and a fabulous skate park! We also have regular shows in the Pyle Life Centre, where members can develop their talents in song and dance.

How are we Funded?

We are currently funded, in the main, by the Community Fund until January 2006 for some salaries and running costs. We are also funded by Children in Need for 3 part time posts. At KPC, we undertake a lot of our own fundraising. We are also indebted to all who support us and have made donations in the past. We couldn’t have achieved so much without all of you.

Working in the community and for young people

We are open daily 9am – 3pm for unemployed young people, those excluded from school or attending the Pupils Referral unit. We offer somewhere safe for them to go and offer advice and help with CV’s and Job applications. We also have two Outreach workers who go out ‘on the streets’ to help and support the ‘hard to reach’ young people of the area who may not want to access formal facilities. Our aims continue to be to meet the needs of young people in this area and and give them a better quality of life and greater chances in life.

Future Plans

We continue to work towards providing activities and services to meet the needs of our members. One of our long term aims is to raise sufficient funds to build an extension to our existing building which will be a dedicated dance / drama and fitness studio, to enable young people to learn new experiences, build on their confidence and give them access to opportunities otherwise not open to them. We realize that our most pressing concern is our long term sustainability for the future which will be called into question if sufficient funding alternatives cannot be found by the end of 2005. We don’t want to throw away all that we have worked so hard to achieve so far or deprive the young people in the area of what has become an integral part of the community. These funding issues continue to be a major concern which we are looking into...