Wendover Youth Centre

Youth Centre appoints new Youth Leader and seeks more Trustees

A new youth leader is joining Wendover Youth centre, following the departure of Pete Swinford last month (Wendover News July). Oshemaye Egbe will take up the position of Lead Youth Worker/ Centre Manager, having spent more than ten years working with young people – most recently completing a 12 month contract with Oasis in London.

Ms Egbe will officially start at the centre on 1 September, though she will be attending some of the summer events beforehand, which started with July’s Youth Centre Fest in Ashbrook Park.

The Youth Centre is also looking to recruit more Trustees. Chairman Chris Heald says there is currently a vacancy for one Trustee, but with two more likely to appear during the next year. “We’d like to see three or four new faces really,” he says. The board of Trustees is particularly looking for someone who can help with PR, communications and fundraising. Future Trustees with knowledge of legal matters and HR would also be welcome, Chris says.

“Overall we’re doing OK but need a bit more to shift us to the next level of operation, which for us is long-term sustainability rather than year-to-year success.”

You don’t need to live in Wendover to apply to be a Trustee, but ideally you’ll live within 10 to 15 miles away. Candidates need a DBS certificate to work with young people, but otherwise no formal qualifications are needed. Some experience of working with young people is ideal, but this might come from already being a parent, says Chris.

The Trustees meet about six times per year for around two hours on a Monday evening. Most Trustees also provide voluntary help in at least one extra area depending on their skill areas, such as recruitment, a club, the website, help with writing bids.

Being a Trustee can be a very fulfilling experience, says Chris. “This is one of the busiest locally run youth centres in Bucks. There’s year-on-year growth in activities and we’ll see 500 to 600 young people accessing our services and activities in a typical half-term period.”

The Youth Centre is in its 13th year since becoming an independently run charity. “It’s an excellent team to be part of, and new Trustees can help up to grow towards our 20th anniversary,” says Chris. “People can share or increase their skills and experience, in areas such as recruitment, chairing meetings, and running community events. They’ll know they are making a real difference to their local community and the lives of the young people in it.”