1. Activity Programme
2. Hackney Empowering Active Team (HEAT)
3. Adult Volunteering
4. Fixed Term Exclusions Provision (FTEP)
5. Permanent Exclusions Provision (PEAP)
6. Family Support
7. Fundraising

1. Activity Programme

Hackney Quest have over 120 young people aged 9-18 years from the local community registered on the programme. We provide a varied and stimulating programme of after school, Saturday and holiday activities all year round. We aim to give the young people the opportunity to have experiences that they may not normally have the chance to do, i.e. theatre trips, weekends away, educational workshops (bullying, peer pressure, drugs awareness), drama, dance football, careers advice and much more.

The programme provides young people with a safe and friendly environment which promotes and nurtures the Every Child Matters outcomes which are to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being.

Background

Hackney Quest received funding for a Youth Participation Volunteer Programme to commence from April 2009. The aim was to have a youth-led programme which undertakes responsibility of the Activity Programme. As the initial group began to form, they renamed themselves as ‘Hackney Empowering Active Team’ (H.E.A.T.) and designed their own logo. Hackney Quest supports the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which acknowledges that those under 18 years of age have the ability, and therefore the right, to be involved in decision-making. Hackney Quest also supports Hackney Youth Charter which identifies that young people want the right to be involved and have a say over services that they use such as youth clubs, schools and colleges, parks, leisure centres and open spaces. Therefore it was essential that HQ provide a platform for young people to have a meaningful voice within the charity.

Objective

HEAT is a youth-led programme where young people aged 14-25 years who are representative of the local community and of a diverse range of ethnic and social backgrounds undertake the responsibility of fundraising, planning, budgeting, booking, running and evaluating the Activity Programme. Members act as a youth committee and support the governance of Hackney Quest and make a positive contribution to their local community. Members have the opportunity to become Youth Volunteers to support other young people on trips, at workshops and events within the HQ Activity Programme.

The members aim to be effective in the following ways:

Activity Programme

§ Planning, researching, budgeting, booking and administering the termly and holiday activity programmes

§ Creating and facilitating workshops

§ Designing the layout of the activity programmes

§ Monitoring and evaluating the activity programme.

Youth Volunteering

§ Opportunity to support Volunteer Youth Workers on activities all year round including one-off events

§ Participate in a Volunteer Induction

§ Access to in-house training to develop good youth work skills

Communication and Governance

§ Feedback inter-changed between young people, staff, volunteers and trustees via newsletters, reports and attendance at trustee meetings when necessary

Recognition of achievement

§ Members will have the opportunity to develop many new skills as part of an ongoing training and development programme, as well as gaining ASDAN accreditation and in-house awards

How to join HEAT



 

Hackney Quest was founded by volunteers passionate to change opportunities for young people in Hackney. Today Volunteers  continue to bring skills, energy, enthusiasm and passion to Hackney Quest enabling us to provide support and new experiences to young people and their families.

As representatives of the community our volunteers inspire our young people by being positive role models who want to give their time to make a difference to other people’s lives.

Our Youth Worker Volunteers support young people to access our inspiring activity programme, supporting young people to engage with each other and the opportunities available to them, and support Young People on our Exclusions projects to believe in themselves and find their solutions for a better future.

Our Family Support Volunteers provide the families in Hackney with a place to be listened to and support in finding their own solutions.

Since the beginning of September 2005 we have  provided a meaningful and successful service to Key Stage3/4 students that have been given fixed term exclusions from their schools. The aims of the provision are as follows:

1.    Access to key skills/continuation of education
2.    Reflection on exclusion
3.    Enhancement of social skills
4.    Personal Development
5.    Reintegration into school
6.    Ongoing support

However, the main aim of time spent at our provision is to give students time away from the pressures of school, to look at the actions or behaviour that led to the exclusion, as well as a continuation of their education while they are away. Students are given time to reflect and with the support from staff, workout strategies for managing their behaviour as they return to school.
We have a planned programme of education/personal development that the students follow while at the provision, but this is often tailored to fit the needs of the individual. We have very experienced teachers and facilitators, as well as a team of support workers who are able to meet the needs of most the students that are referred to the project.

A good relationship with parents/carers and the provision is essential to the success of the time that students spend at Hackney Quest, and this is an area that we focus much of our time on.  From the initial interview to the reintegration back to school, parents are kept informed of progress, behaviour and areas of concern by the Project Manager and staff.

Through close partnership with The Learning Trust and schools, we also offer reintegration packages to students who find it difficult to return back after spending long periods away from school. They are invited to come along once or twice a week to specific sessions and receive 1: 1 support from the staff and the Project Manager.

The PEAP programme is an education/personal development programme, supporting up to 10  KS4 young people who have been permanently excluded from school and are Hackney residents.  The young people (usually aged 15/16) attend the PEAP provision for 6-8 weeks and their time at Hackney Quest is an opportunity for them to take the space to reflect and then make decisions for their own future.
The aim is to help them and their families deal with the consequences of their exclusion, assist them in continuing with their education and assess their levels, abilities and attitudes to education in order to move them on to a more permanent placement so that they can successfully complete their statutory education up to the end of KS4.

The project was commissioned by The Learning Trust in 2005 and we continue to have very successful outcomes with all the young people who attend.  We are one of 17 provisions which come under New Regents College and are the first point of contact for all permanently excluded young people in Hackney.  When they move on from us, they will attend provisions such as Catch 22, Fairbridge, Hackney Community College, etc.

The benefit of the young people attending the PEAP provision within Hackney Quest is that they also have access to ongoing support via our youth volunteering and positive activity programmes, as well as their parent/carers having access to our Family Support Project.

The Family support project is a volunteer-led service that was launched early in 2011 and we can now provide the following services:-

1. Free, confidential drop-in service at our 192 Well Street office
2. Free, confidential signposting service at our 192 Well Street office
3. Access to support workers who speak many languages – Bengali, Turkish, Romanian, French and, of course, English!
4. Access to Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities courses
5. PPP Parenting Teens courses
6. One-off “Communicating with Teenagers” sessions
7. Access to Anger Management courses
8. Dad’s sessions – discussion groups and support

How you can Help

Hackney Quest is based in one of the highest deprivation areas in the country and have years of experience in engaging with young people from diverse range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, which truly reflects the population of Hackney.  The aims and objectives of our programmes are:

a. To engage with hard to reach young people who are “at risk” through not being in education, employment or training or who may be involved in crime or anti-socialbehaviour.

b. To provide activities that will inspire these young people to come to our youth facility and provide opportunities for embedded learning, i.e. inspirational speakers, life skills discussions, basic skills through music technology, team building, communication skills, anger management and confidence building.

c. To break down barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding by bringing together young people from different areas of Hackney and different ethnic and social backgrounds.

You may be aware more and more charities close because they are finding it hard to raise funds, your donation large or small will help us to continue our much needed projects plus implement many more of the young peoples’ new and exciting ideas.

But as you will be aware more and more charities close because they are finding it harder to raise funds, your donation large or small will enable us to continue this much needed service and implement many more of the young peoples’ new and exciting ideas –

A donation of £10 per month enables one young person to attend Hackney Quest for one year and participate in a wide range of activities

A donation can be made very simply using one of the following options:

1. Click here to donate via Just Giving
2. Text – HACK10 to 70070 to donate £10
3. Send a cheque made payable to Hackney Quest to our head office
4. Make a regular donation Regular Donation Form

Setting up a regular donation to Hackney Quest is quick and easy.  Simply complete our Regular Donation form and send to Hackney Quest 1 Poole Road, London E8 7AE or Fax on 020 8533 9972, or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Gift Aid- Help make your money go further
By Gift Aiding your donation it will be worth almost a third extra to Hackney Quest at absolutely no extra cost to you.  For every pound that you donate, Hackney Quest will receive an extra 28p from the Government.  If for example, you give £20 to Hackney Quest, we will receive an extra £5.60. Gift Aid Declaration form