by faithyoung | Jul 11, 2024 | 2024, Blog, Funding Projects
All the Fs … Futureworks NY and Freedom Funding!
Here at Futureworks, we are very lucky in that we have applied for funding and we’ve been successful with the likes of Children In Need and other organisations.
These much-needed pots of ‘cash’ are more often than not ring fenced for particular projects.
This is completely correct and commendable, and various monies have helped fund our Adult Training, Youth Development, workshops and more.
Yet one of our aims is to become more self-sufficient with our fundraising.
In other words, by May 2025, we are hoping to generate £50,000 so we have the freedom to be flexible for our learners’ needs and requirements with ‘freedom funding’.
This will mean we are less reliant on ‘tied’ funding, enabling us to be readily responsive to those who need support, help and encouragement.
In 2027, we will celebrate our 15th anniversary and while this is some time away, we know there is ever-increasing demand in the local Scarborough area.
Therefore, by 2027, with the help of freedom funding, we are hoping to increase the number of learners we support by 40%.
We currently have a waiting list so there is definitely the need.
While this is ambitious, with help, it is entirely possible.
Freedom funding comes in many forms.
It could be corporate sponsorship by a local business.
It could be charitable ventures (we list some that we’ve already achieved below).
It could be a donation, however small (or large!).
Donate here!
It could be that your workplace nominates Futureworks NY as your charity of the year.
And of course, freedom funding also comes about from sales at Furniture Works, St Thomas Street, Scarborough.
This is our retail space in the heart of our seaside town and is part of the Futureworks NY family.
Monies made from Furniture Works sales are ploughed back into Futureworks NY, helping ‘freedom fund’ the work we do.
So, it might be easy to imagine, if we had additional freedom funding, how many people we could help!
It would mean more learners gaining employment, a place at college or entering an apprenticeship.
It goes without saying that it means we can potentially expand our team as we grow.
We have already started the freedom funding ball rolling with our Coffee Works initiative.
Pop into our Furniture Works store, grab a fresh coffee and when you pay, you know those pennies and pounds will help someone who needs that helping hand.
Our team, including CEOs Michelle Padron-Kitching and Sarah Thornton, have also put their money where their mouth is.
Charitable events include walking the entire Cleveland Way National Trail; dropping out of a plane (yes, with a parachute!), tackling a couple of half marathons including the demanding Ravenscar Half (anyone who’s tackled this knows it’s a lung buster).
It has even been said it’s tougher than the London Marathon!
We have lots more up our sleeves.
So as we become funded more freely, what elements would we be able to fund?
We would be able offer an even more rounded service, so our clients could access support for mental health, financial issues and housing.
It would mean we could develop our provision of care on an entirely bespoke basis, so the individual’s learning needs are recognised, with earlier intervention meaning that person moves on and their strengths are recognised.
As anyone who’s applied for funding knows, competition is fierce.
There are more applicants per pot of money, sometimes reducing the chances of a successful application.
And as we approach the first anniversary of becoming a registered charity, this milestone helps people see the value of our work.
Yet with recent successes such as our clients receiving their certificates, it’s clear to see how Futureworks NY and the work we do is essential.
Freedom funding means less reliance upon complex contracts and ringfenced pots of ‘spondoolies’.
Freedom funding also means we can help more learners achieve their own freedom; freedom from barriers such as mental health, lack of confidence, anxiety.
You can’t really put a price tag on that … so if you can help us and our team, we’d love to hear from you.
by faithyoung | May 6, 2024 | 2024, Blog
A group of our leaners went along to a Krav Maga self-defence session.
This provided an opportunity to help develop the ability to stay safe, while having fun at the same time!
Other positives included improving self-confidence and trying something new.Our learners were helped by Brian Armstrong, an instructor in Krav Maga Kapap, along with his team.
They encouraged our learners to have a go, even if it meant stepping out of their comfort zones!
As well as building self-confidence, it also gave the learners a glimpse of how physical fitness can help with an overall sense of wellbeing.
Personal fitness is always an individual’s choice, yet these sessions provided a fun way of exploring the possibilities!
The session took place at No Limits Martial Arts and Fitness, Scarborough.
Krav Maga is a self-defence system, used by professionals and for personal safety, too.
Krav Maga is based on our own instincts and is derived from the Hebrew word “krav” meaning struggle.
It has origins in the times of the Old Testament. Today’s version was finely tuned during the Second World War.
Thanks to No Limits Martial Arts, dedicated instructors put our learners through their paces!
by faithyoung | Apr 12, 2024 | 2024, Blog, Charity
Our learners planned their own trip to Hull!
For our clients who are making their first tentative steps into the big wide world, there are many aspects of life that we can take for granted.
Reading a train timetable; buying the right ticket; planning a trip; enjoying a social occasion; even ordering a delicious meal!
For our clients, these tasks can often spark anxiety coupled with an overall lack of confidence in social or public situations.
Causes for these challenging emotions include social isolation, a lack of ‘real life’ experience and a reliance upon social media rather than human interaction.
Our work at Futureworks NY is multi-faceted, so one of the best ways to deal with numerous challenges is to host a social excursion to one of the North’s largest cities for a day trip which included a multitude of task that, as adults, we might have to deal with every day.
Railway Travel
If you think about making a railway journey, there are many decisions that need to made.
Deciding the destination; the time of departure and the return trip; the cost of the tickets (and purchasing them); getting to the railway station on time; ensuring you alight at the correct station; finding your reserved seat; and knowing what time the train arrives at the chosen destination.
For our clients, this was, for some, their first railway trip.
Even for experienced railway passengers, travelling by rail can be a challenge if trains are cancelled or are running late.
So, for our day trip to Hull, we boarded a Northern Rail train from Scarborough to Hull. Luckily, for this route, Scarborough is the terminus so it was easy to find the right platform and board the train.
Hull’s Paragon Street station is much larger and with lots more platforms, trains and more.
Our clients had to be sure they knew their return journey time (and plan their day so they could catch the train home); which platform it would depart from; and know what time they would get back to Scarborough so they could get home safely.
As well as printed timetables, there is also the screens at railway stations, showing the latest information.
This element of the day trip encouraged planning, responsibility and helping each other get things right!
Escape Rooms
This popular pastime is on trend!
If you’re not sure what it’s about, participants are given a mission at the escape room venue, usually starting off in a themed room which includes hints and clues as to how to gain your freedom.
It can include codes, locks, and hidden items.
It’s an immersive experience and it relies upon teamwork as well as healthy competition between participants.
The experience can often mean using parts of your brain in a different way, learning how to look at things differently.
You’ll be glad to know our team did indeed ‘escape’!
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Nando’s
Part of enjoying a day out is having great food to eat!
We’re not talking about a packed lunch here: we wanted our young clients to understand how to make a decision about eating out (affordability); exercising restaurant etiquette (patience; courtesy; turn-taking); and being thankful for the food itself.
Of course, eating out with friends is a great way to bond with each other; to discover more about each other; and generally having fun in a responsible way and without disturbing others.
For our trip to the well-known food chain Nando’s, this also meant finding the location, waiting to be taken to a table, reading the menu and deciding what to eat within budget.
When ordering food, our clients could see how to take turns in ordering and giving their food choices clearly, as well as being polite to the Nando’s staff.
It was then a case of waiting for the meal, enjoying it and yet also being grateful that food is so plentiful in the UK.
Other skills learned included being able to eat food in a polite way, and ask for the bill from staff.
As we needed to check who’d ordered what, it was also a test of memory!
We also enjoyed delicious donuts during the day trip!
While this was just a snack, the rules of food ordering applied: taking turns, making choices and more.
Our learners also enjoyed a tasty snack by having a treat: some Krispy Kreme doughnuts! Again this called upon different skills such as budgeting and food choices.
Of course couldn’t have done this without our dedicated team, including Dave an Gin, who chaperoned, guided and was there as a helping hand in Hull.
With all our trips we encourage our learners to have fun, make friends and be thankful for what they have.
A great day out for everyone!
by faithyoung | Mar 19, 2024 | 2024, Blog, Furniture Works
Furniture Works, based at 39 St Thomas Street, Scarborough, first opened its doors in 2020 and now features a new look!
The refurbished shop, which is part of the Futureworks NY family, includes extended retail space, additional products for sale and Coffee Works, a donations-only hot drinks area for customers.
Furniture Works sells pre-owned furniture which has been skilfully restored and upcycled by our clients and mentors.
We would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work in getting the shop ready for opening on 11th March 2024.
We founded the shop 4 years ago as we needed a space to show off the creations made by our clients.
Our remit includes teaching and sharing practical skills with our learners.
One of the key areas is the restoration of donated furniture.
Our clients and mentors do an amazing job transforming tired pieces of furniture into something that can find its forever home. So, we not only put our learners’ skills to good use, we also prevent items going to landfill, and provide essential quality furniture at a price people can afford.
Coffee Works is now up and running, helping to raise funds with a minimum donation of £2.50.
Proceeds from sales go towards Futureworks NY, established in 2012.
We are based in Scarborough and we help local learners from school age upwards, enabling them to acquire life skills, confidence, practical skills and some qualifications in an environment that suits their individual requirements.
by faithyoung | Mar 3, 2024 | 2024, Blog
Youth Geographies of Inequality Project
Here are our learners taking part in a session with the University of York for their research project – The Youth Geographies of Inequality Project
The project is run by the University of York and aims to unpicking how economic, social, cultural and environmental factors intersect with differing spatial contexts, and how these contexts shape families’ abilities to provide a varied range of support (financial, emotional and caring) to young people.
The hope is that the research will contribute towards addressing research gaps and help with development of local policies, especially those aimed at addressing widening health inequalities in North Yorkshire.
The project will produce a series of research evidence taking account of young people’s understanding, experiences and narratives of how they negotiate emotional support within their families and wider local web of relationships and context.
The learners have taken part in qualitative interviews and focus groups to participatory arts-based outputs.
The arts-based participatory outputs included mapping activities, walking interviews/photo go-alongs, zine/film making workshops and other creative and crafting activities.
We hope the learners participation has been useful and the outcome of the research helps shape the future for young people in our community
Another fantastic opportunity for our young people here at Futureworks, if you would like to know more about the work we do head to our website –
https://futureworksny.co.uk/
by faithyoung | Feb 13, 2024 | 2024, Blog, Funding Projects
Our Waiting List
In the current climate, our waiting list is not only long, it is increasing.
This means we simply cannot reach those who really need our help.
And we think, with just a bit of help, we can reduce the waiting list, helping lots of people in the Scarborough area.
Thanks to the hard work of our team, supporters and trustees, Futureworks NY has helped over 1,200 young and adult-age clients over the years.
From being founded in 2012, thanks to local businesses, individuals, families, volunteers, and of course our clients themselves, we are now a charity, based on the Yorkshire Coast.
Grant Funding
When charities and volunteer organisations receive funding, this is something to shout about!
Futureworks NY has received both Children in Need and National Lottery funding which is fabulous news.
With grant funding, however, the monies we work hard in order to receive are ‘restricted’ or ring fenced for certain essential tasks.
Other restrictions could be upon the age of those we can help; so anyone younger may have no choice but to join the Futureworks NY queue.
With these well-known organisations helping Futureworks NY, our remit is to help our clients according to the contract set out by funders, such as those mentioned above.
And of course, this is how it should be.
Our carefully planned strategy means we use our grant funding in meticulous, transparent ways.
Yet as grateful as we are, our waiting list means we need a little more help.
Donations
Yes, we’re using the D word.
No matter how small or large, we are delighted when we get monetary donations!
Anyone who can support by donating means they are contributing to our ‘unrestricted’ funding pot.
Obviously, we keep the accounts absolutely to the finest detail.
Yet ‘unrestricted’ means we can then put the donations to what we would call ‘best use’.
It means we have the potential to make inroads on the waiting list, particularly important during these difficult times.
Mental Well Being
While this is a ‘buzzword’ in some ways, having good mental health is so important, whatever age you are.
Many of our clients struggle with their mental health.
And as we know, this can affect everything in life, from lack of confidence to feeling isolated; from feeling powerless to not being able to communicate with those closest to us.
Priorities
With so many challenges facing our clients, and as our team is at the very core of the extensive portfolio, we have at Futureworks NY, donations would be used in flexible, adaptable yet fully transparent ways.
Our sector is very fast moving, with new challenges occurring almost daily, our team is ready to meet these challenges.
Yet this constant fluctuation means even with grant funding, we simply can’t help everyone we’d like.
Benefits of Donations
A donation could enable us to ensure one of our clients has the confidence to go for that job interview or gain a qualification.
We can help our clients in so many ways, so they can exceed even their own expectations.
Other Ways to Help
Perhaps you are a business that could offer sponsorship or support, or know someone who might be able to help?
Any donation, big or small, WILL make a difference to people within our community, giving them the opportunity to gain personal skills and confidence and who knows they could be a future employee!
‘Freedom’ Funding
In addition to the fantastic contributions, we are awarded by larger funders, every penny that is donated by individuals, businesses, organisations and others gives us the freedom to expand and adapt our services in a bespoke and effective way.
Ultimately, everything we do benefits not only our clients but the wider community, too.
From helping one of our clients toward employment to gaining recognised qualifications, Futureworks NY has an extensive, tried and tested format to the work we do.
At the same time, we are always seeking to adapt our services to meet current demand for those in need.
What To Do Next
It doesn’t matter how large or small, all donations are most welcome.
Donate here.
And if you love a bit of retail therapy which also helps our cause look no further than Furniture Works.
