Latest news with #Ernesettle
BBC News
11 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Campaign for new youth space in Plymouth
A group of young people in Plymouth is trying to raise £150,000 for a new youth space in Youth is a community interest company which is planning to convert a former car-breaking yard into an area where young people can meet and access by the group found the city had "lost two-thirds of its youth centres" in the 14 years to 2019. A councillor supporting the planning application, Ray Morton, said he believed there was a link between the provision of youth services and a reduction in anti-social behaviour. 'Our own space' Youth worker Jon Dingle said: "We've actually got the space - it's going through planning permission at the moment. "Once that's cleared what we need to do is then raise money to be able to turn this space into an adequate space for young people."He added: "In Ernesettle at the moment we're in the church hall, which we're really grateful for, but it's not really adequate for what we'd like to do."15-year-old Niamh said the new space was much needed: "A lot of people just roam round the streets and they have nothing to do."It's good to have our own space in Ernesettle because it's kind of hard to get to places especially if you don't have a lot of money."Mr Morton, a Labour councillor in the city, said that since Connecting Youth had started providing services in the church hall anti-social behaviour in Ernesettle had already improved "quite substantially" and there had been a reduction in vandalism. 'Offering support' Connecting Youth was formed in 2023 after the closure of a charity called Barefoot, which provided youth services in Plymouth. Mr Dingle said: "I thought I can't just walk away from this. So that's why we set up the CIC, but we've not had a space of our own."When I started working for the charity Barefoot in Ernesettle back in 2014, Ernesettle had some of the highest levels of antisocial behaviour in the city. "Within a couple of years we've brought that down significantly. "But we don't go in focusing on antisocial behaviour, we go in offering young people opportunities, offering them support, offering them chances, trying to build their aspirations," he added.
BBC News
07-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Plymouth school pioneers scheme to prevent child sex abuse
School pioneers scheme to prevent child sex abuse 8 minutes ago Share Save Jane Douglas BBC News, South West Share Save BBC Ernesettle Community School has been running a pilot project for five years A programme helping educate pupils at a Plymouth school about child sexual abuse is "helping to stop the silence" on the issue, according to children's charity the NSPCC. Ernesettle Community School is the first in the South West to adopt the charity's Together For Childhood programme. It has been running a pilot project at the school for five years involving regular conversations with pupils and their families about personal boundaries. Shelley Shaw, development manager at the NSPCC, said the initiative was helping "normalise talking about healthy relationships". Children learn how a character called Pantosaurus says "no" to inappropriate touching The charity said the programme was an evidence-informed approach to bring families and local groups together to make the community safer for children. It includes Plymouth City Council, the Plymouth Safeguarding Children's Partnership, police, health, community groups, fellow charities and the voluntary sector. Other schools taking part are located in Grimsby and Stoke-on-Trent, said the NSPCC. At Ernesettle, children have been introduced to a fictional character called Pantosaurus from an early age. Prevent harm They learn how Pantosaurus says "no" to inappropriate touching and how he can tell a "safe" adult if he is concerned. All teachers at the school are trained in how to spot the signs of abuse, said the charity. Ms Shaw said the programme was "groundbreaking, nationally and internationally". "What's been really great is that we've normalised talking about healthy relationships and... that's helped stop the silence on talking about child sex abuse. "Now we've got our published evaluation and evidence we can start sharing that so that across the country we can prevent 500,000 children that get sexually abused every year from being harmed." 'Feeling empowered' Paige Pink, assistant head teacher at Ernesettle Community School, said: "I think the most special part about Ernesettle is the positive relationships that we have with others in the community. "That's when we see children and families really opening up and feeling empowered." Jody, a parent at the school, welcomed the approach. "It's just incredible, like teaching children how to stay safe, and how to keep their private parts to themselves, to speak up if they need to, to somebody who they feel safe with, and for people to come in and educate our children at school all about keeping safe." The NSPCC's Together for Childhood programme is due to be rolled out to other schools in Plymouth. If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story you can find information and support on BBC Action Line. More on this story Queen praises 'brilliant' sex assault centre staff
