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MAXwell Centre & Garden

Proposal code: CONSUL-2026-02-263

MAXYouth Work

The award will be used to part fund our youth workers for 2026/2027. They will plan, develop and manage all of the following activities: • Garden workshops for our local primary schools and local nurseries. Weekly, we deliver 10 sessions over 4 days, with sessions focusing on outdoor educational activities. These support improved life chances for local young people by providing new learning experiences and opportunities to develop practical skills. Teachers consistently report positive impacts, including notable improvements in behaviour and engagement. In total, 1,643 different children benefited from these sessions including youth engagement from our local high schools. • Our hugely popular Holiday Garden Clubs will run during each school holiday period. Last year we had 78 young people attending in Spring, 109 in Summer, and 78 in Autumn. These sessions allow creativity to flourish, offering young people the chance to play games, explore the outdoors, and connect with others in a relaxed and fun environment. Activities include cooking lunch together, creating nature-inspired art, and free play in the garden, contributing to improved happiness, confidence, and wellbeing. Over the year, more than 690 nutritious lunches were served. • Our After School Clubs will run 2 evenings a week and we currently support 32 different children from the local area. The club focuses on free play, creativity and being outdoors all year round – the clubs are very much led by our young people as they often choose and develop their own activities that our youth workers facilitate. • We support youth volunteering. We currently have 14 youth volunteers, all of whom demonstrate significant improvements in wellbeing while participating. These young people are empowered to take on leadership roles within the garden, becoming positive role models for younger participants while developing confidence, responsibility, and transferable skills. • A weekly Youth Cooking Group, consisting of six young people, takes a fully youth led approach, from harvesting fresh produce to deciding what to cook. Each month, the group prepares and serves meals for up to 20 local older residents through our intergenerational ‘Come Dine’ sessions, fostering connection, pride, and mutual respect across generations. • We also facilitate a Youth Council of 10 local young people, which meets weekly and is driven by their ideas and priorities. Members play an active role in shaping our garden, future projects, and wider community activities. They attend board meetings, participate in Local Community Planning Partnership meetings, and collaborate with local councillors, gaining valuable leadership experience and a meaningful voice in their community

• All city