Press Coverage - The Newham Recorder

Wednesday 13^th June 2007

Skills workshop for young people by Tracy Mullins

From DJ lessons to graffiti art, young people were given a chance last week to brush up on a range of skills. The new directions health and Life skills fair saw some 190 students from the Newham Late Admissions Project (NewLap) and New Steps programmes accessing more than 40 organisations from across the boroughs and beyond.

Workshops

Staged at the Rathbone Education Centre in Canning Town, groups Shine, Actorshop and create engaged the youngsters with focused workshops on sexual relationship and drug education, and the effects of knife crime.

Students’ voices were heard by the inter-active survey Your Shout. They could access information stalls, workshops delivered by Point Blank, and play football with Mike Morris, from Leyton Orient, and police. New Directions which is organised by Newham Council, provides alternative education curriculum for pupils aged 14-16. Education Otherwise is a charity that encourages  learning outside the school system which is for young people in Year 11 who are new to the borough who do not have a school place, and New Steps which is for youngsters who have a place but are better served by the programme.

Organiser Jill Howard from New Directions described the event as “a wonderful success”, with thanks due to “the generous donations of GLL Leisure Wikes, Layton Orient, West Ham united and the many individuals and organisations who came together to help make this happen”.

The fair- reaching up to 300 students- is being delivered in two parts, with the second part on June 22 focusing on its Turnaround and Links to success programmes.