What is ‘LEGACY’?

Legacy is a year-long programme of events and activities designed to celebrate 10 years of ‘Off the Streets.’ It also has the dual purpose of raising much needed funding along with our profile.

So why should you support ‘Legacy?’

Off the Streets is the only existing Street Work Project in the Derry City Council Area and only one of a handful across Northern Ireland. It’s geographically bound and serves young people across the Greater Shantallow Area. It does not receive core funding and relies on securing funding from a range of trusts and foundations alongside sources such as PEACE II. Throughout the course of each calendar year it faces uncertainty, as its output is dependent on securing funding. In an effort to address this and to create a more stable climate for it to exist it is pursuing a fundraising plan that includes developing closer links with the business sector. Of course it does this with a view that if the Business Sector elects to support our work it has to get something back in return.

Off the Streets in the course of any calendar year runs a multitude of projects, too many to tell you about in a few sentences! However, our primary service, i.e., Street Work, operates 7 nights a week and we have contact with between 600 and 1000 young people per month. In order to ensure that we can continue this work we must generate greater income over a more sustained period of time.

So what’s planned?

Off the Streets will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2006 and in an effort to ensure we mark the occasion a wide range of events and activities is planned. The theme for our 10th anniversary is ‘Legacy’. We want to celebrate the contribution we have made to not only youth work locally but most notably the lives of young people in the Greater Shantallow Area. We also want to look forward to the future and therefore have chosen ‘Legacy’ as our theme, i.e., the legacy we have left and the legacy we wish to leave!

So how will we market these events?

Each event will have a particular theme and this presents an opportunity for Event Sponsors to maximise publicity. All events will be covered by local media, including radio, television and newspapers. All Events will carry the name of Event Sponsors and opportunities exist for sponsors to publicise product brand. All Events will bring together a wide range of representatives from a variety of sectors including youth, community, health, education, politics and business. Due to the large numbers of young people and adults we work with and more come into contact with on a daily basis we are confident that we can ensure strong attendance. For example, our last two annual celebration days have been attended by well over 100 young people and adults. In April 2004 we launched our Strategic Plan and again over 80 people attended.

So what’s events are planned?

‘Legacy’ - 10th Anniversary Dinner
In March we will host a dinner to mark the setting up of Off the Streets. Nigel Williams, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People will speak. Entertainment will also be provided. The event will be held in a local hotel. Up to 100 people will be in attendance.

‘1996’ - Off the Streets Ball
Organised much in the same vain as our Anniversary Dinner it will be theme based – ‘1996’. Each table will carry a particular theme, be it person or event, associated with the year 1996, the year we were set up. Entertainment including band and DJ in addition to an auction and prize draw will be organised. Up to 200 people will be in attendance.

‘Ten Paces’ Sponsored Walk
As Street Work is our primary function and this involves staff covering hundreds of miles every year then it seems appropriate that we should do what we do best in order to raise funds. ‘Ten Paces’ is a major sponsored walk that will link various Detached Youth Work Projects across the country.

’10 Variations’ Hip Hop Exchange Programme
In 2006/7 we will facilitate a ‘Hip Hop’ theme based activity programme with young people from a number of countries including Portugal, Romania, Egypt, Jordan and Israel. The programme will provide an outlet to express creative talents through DJing, Rapping, Graffiti, Music, Dance and video.

‘Decade’ - Launch of Fundraising Programme
A special event has been organised to mark our efforts to generate income on a long-term basis. ‘The Case for Supporting Our Work’ document will be launched as will details of our year-long programme of fundraising activities.

‘10 Not Out’’ Celebration of Young People
Every year Off the Streets holds a celebration event to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of young people taking part in its programmes. In. addition to the presentation of certificates to young people who took part in programmes in 2005, Off the Streets will reflect on its work over the previous 10 years. This will include contributions from young people and adults who have helped make Off the Streets the success it is.

’10 out of 10’ Young People Awards Ceremony
To celebrate 10 years of service to the Greater Shantallow Area, Off the Streets will organise an awards ceremony to recognise the contributions that young people have made to the area. This will be open to young people currently resident in the area or who have lived here in the past. Young people can be nominated to a wide number of categories of which there will be two sets., i.e., ‘Past’ & ‘Present’.

‘Legacy’ Concert
In August of next year we will hold a special concert involving local musicians. Four local acts including Paul Casey & ‘Little Hooks’ will provide up to four hours entertainment for a packed house in the Nerve Centre in Derry. Images from our work over the last 10 years will also provide a backdrop to the event.

Special ‘one-off’ Events
A number of ‘one-off’ events have been organised as part or our overall fundraising programme. This includes a Monthly Draw and two ‘Night at the Races’ Events. Additional events include ‘League of Nations’ to coincide with the 2006 World Cup, a localised version of The ‘Weakest Link’ involving representatives from local Community Groups, ‘Buddha Contest’ (local people agree to shave off their hair), ‘Really Useful Prize’ Draw (community groups can win prizes that will be ‘really useful’ to them).

Outreach Events
We will also organise local events to coincide with major events such as ‘Europe Day’, ‘International Day of Peace’ and ‘UN Day’. This will be in addition to on-going Outreach Events including a Pilot Project with young men, Question & Answer Session with the local Media, Visits to the Emergency Services and a Media Project with Children’s Express.

So how might your support benefit us?

There are many outcomes and benefits to supporting the work of Off the Streets not least of all our ability to meet with and engage with young people at street level. Funding will allow us to continue to deliver on a number of fronts. We will:

Young People
• continue to engage young people so as to build up a working relationship that increases trust and therefore provides greater opportunity to positively influence their behaviour.
• provide a service to young people that is not only approachable and flexible but offers a diversification of roles including, observation, intervention, prevention, support, relationship building (with both young people and adults), a ‘listening ear’, and the provision of information.
• help young people to develop essential qualities and attitudes necessary to succeed in everyday life, i.e., commitment & motivation, acceptance & tolerance, dedication & perseverance, problem-solving and conflict management/resolution
• continue to ‘map the Greater Shantallow Area’ so as to maintain a picture of on-going need among young people so as to inform practice at all levels.
• to reach out to a far greater audience particularly those most marginalised

Practice
• enshrine our Model of Practice across youth services at a local, regional, national and international level as an effective methodology for engaging young people
• ensuring on-going review of working practices, systems, policies and procedures in an effort to inform development of our practice and implementation of effective operational standards, administrative systems and procedures.

Programmes
• maintain current levels of programming including Street Work Leadership, Youth Outreach, Millennium Volunteers and Cross-Border Programmes
• strengthen our Cross-border capacity and ability to initiate programmes on a national and international basis
• respond to identified need in innovative and creative ways and continue to implement a range of measures, some new, in a bid to deflect young people away from anti-social and risk taking behaviour
• operate longer hours and at key times including evenings and weekends when mainstream provision is often inaccessible.

Organisationally
• maintain a visible presence on the streets that demonstrates to both young people, residents, adults and the community at large that concerns regarding community safety are being addressed
• to maintain existing partnerships and develop new relationships with other organisations and agencies so as to further the aims of the project
• ensure we maintain our research capacity so as to inform practice, help identify need and keep our work ‘fresh’
• develop an effective PR function so as to raise the profile of our work and create an effective communications & marketing strategy
• further develop our capacity for income generation so as to reduce funder dependency demonstrate a long-term commitment to investing in the future of young people within the Greater Shantallow Area

Timetable of Events and Sponsorship Level