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YMCA South Midlands
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Youth and Community

At YMCA South Midlands we work with 8 – 18 year olds in the community to help them reach their potential.

In a time where local youth services funding has significantly declined, we are more committed than ever to providing meaningful opportunities shaped by young people themselves. Our programmes are designed to be engaging, supportive, and driven by the needs and voices of the community, helping young people feel empowered, connected, and inspired.
Discover what’s on offer below and find the right opportunities for you.

Current Projects

Youth Clubs

Where: The Hive Whitehouse Community Centre, Barrosa Way, MK8 1JS

When:

  • Tuesdays (term time) 4.30-6pm, Age Group 11-13
  • Tuesdays (term time) 6.30pm-8pm, Age Group 14-18
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Youth Mentoring

Utilising ‘reachable moments’ in the community young people are given access to a positive adult role model who is committed to their success.
Our current projects are:

  • Community based youth mentoring – funded by Children in Need in partnership with the MK City Council Children’s Services. Volunteer youth mentors support young people referred to YMCA by the Early Help Team.
  • Schools based youth mentoring – Working in partnership with MK City Council, our School Mentor supports students for up to one year in a school setting to achieve their personal goals, improve attendance and emotional wellbeing.

If you’d like any further info, please contact tayler.tookey@ymcasouthmidlands.com

Volunteer to become a Youth Mentor
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Youth Advocacy

YMCA Milton Keynes supports organisations to hear the voices of our young people to influence tangible change on a local, regional and national level.

So far, our young people voices have been heard and meaningfully included by the following organisations:

  • BLMK Integrated Care Board to hear from young people regarding Health Inequalities and their wider experience of health services. Read Denny Report.
  • HM Prison and Probation Service to hear from young people about their experiences of the criminal justice system to support their future service development plans. Read full report.

If you’d like to explore a consultation opportunity with our young people, please contact tayler.tookey@ymcasouthmidlands.com

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School Workshops

We offer a programme of interactive school workshops designed to respond directly to the needs of each individual school community. Workshops are co-designed in partnership with school staff, ensuring content reflects the specific challenges and priorities facing their students.

Our standard model consists of a three-part workshop series, allowing themes to be explored in depth and reinforced over time. However, the structure is flexible and can be adapted in length, format and focus to meet the age, cohort and emerging needs of the students.

Workshops commonly focus on areas such as resilience, emotional regulation, confidence-building, healthy relationships, and positive coping strategies. Sessions are engaging, practical and reflective, providing students with tools they can apply both within school and beyond.

By tailoring delivery and working collaboratively with schools, we ensure our workshops are relevant, impactful and aligned with wider pastoral and wellbeing priorities.

If you’d like to explore this opportunity more or have any questions, please contact tayler.tookey@ymcasouthmidlands.com

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Youth Voice Events

We champion youth voice by embedding meaningful youth participation as a standard across all of our youth work projects.

If you’d like to know how we can create a bespoke package for you which embeds youth voice at the heart of your programme get in touch with Tayler Tookey at Tayler.Tookey@ymcasouthmidlands.com

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Last year YMCA MK mentored 167 young people across 3 projects

Do you want to empower a young person to fulfil their potential? Are you friendly & approachable? Are you open minded & non-judgemental?

At YMCA MK we are passionate in supporting young people in our community and you could be just the person to make a difference. Why not get in touch and be part of a friendly and supportive team, we will offer full guidance and support and opportunities that fit around you!

Volunteer as a Youth Mentor
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Past Projects

Hear Y: Young Voices, Big Action

An event giving young people the opportunity to change the narrative on youth provisions. A time and space where they got to take control and have a say on what is needed, instead of having people decide for them. 

Read the feedback from Hear Y
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Hospital Navigator Scheme

A&E based youth mentoring – Hospital Navigator Scheme funded by Thames Valley VRU. Volunteer hospital navigators support young people who find themselves in A&E and offer bespoke, ongoing support.

Read Hospital Navigator Impact Report
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Group Mentoring

Group mentoring sessions for young people aged 12–16. Each session combined fun, interactive activities that helped build connection and confidence, along with structured discussions led by our trained youth workers. The topics were chosen by the young people themselves, ensuring the sessions were meaningful, relevant, and empowering. It was a fantastic opportunity for young people to connect with trusted adult role models in a space that felt safe, supportive, and non‑judgemental.
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I feel very supported and that gave me confidence to carry on with my
Youth Ambassador projects. That type of encouragement is what I want
to now pass on to other people who live at YMCA, I want them to feel
heard, as I was, and empowered, as I was.