A Growing Network: The next steps

Issue 3 April 2011

Board Meeting, The brand new YoUFA Publishing Team and so much more…!

Remember to pass on the word about the YoUFA Net-work! It’s getting bigger and we want to make sure every young person is part of it! So tell all your friends about it! And suggest the UFA - YoUFA page to your friends on Facebook!

Visit our website www.youfa.co.uk and ourFacebook page and make sure you have your say!

If you want to know more about how you can join the YoUFA network, how you can get involved or simply want to say Hello! Then I want to hear from you.

You can contact me in many ways…have a read of all the different channels of communication.

Until next time!

Insia :-)

NEWS

Welcome from the Youth Ambassador!

Hello and welcome to the spring issue of YoUFA News! The weather has been very pleasant, no denying how beautiful it has been! I have been busy keeping cool and of course working away with the UFA!

This YoUFA News is packed full of little snippets of what’s going on around the country giving you alittle flavour of all the great things going on around the YoUFA network!

Keep reading to find out more on the recent YoUFA

Inside this issue...

'I wanted to join the YoUFA Board as I really enjoyed the whole UFA experience as a Peer Tutor... (continues on page 3)

YoUFA Board

‘Stay with the UFA and YoUFA for as long as possible, it’s made a huge impact on my life and I’d be silly to let that get away!’... (more questions on page 2)

Ebony’s Story

We wanted to have a guide for young people to set up, run and evaluate their own UFA activity and wanted to produce a guide in order to help them do this... (continues on page 3)

Publishing Team

SHOUT about it!(Page 4)

NEWS

Is there anything you would change about your UFA journey?I would make the residentials longer!

We want to know more about you! One thing you love and that motivated you?Right now I’m completely in love with Glee. It reminds me of UFA in a way, because the message is that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. I have every single Glee song on my iPod, I know about 60% of the dance routines, I can tell you which lines came from which epi-sode and I’m pretty sure if I tried hard, I could name the episodes in order! So, yeah, I’m quite a big fan!

What are your future plans with the UFA and YoUFA?

I want to stay with the UFA and YoUFA for as long as

possible, it’s made a huge impact on my life and I’d be

silly to let that get away!

What would you say to other young people out there who haven’t joined

the YoUFA network yet?Do it. Don’t question how it will be good for you or what you can get out of it, just do it and you’ll get the rewards soon enough!

What is your funniest memory?The first residential in 2008, we were doing raft building with barrels and beams of wood and my team had built the raft and the rest of the team had got it onto the wa-ter while I was just standing there. They’d all sank in the water and I was still dry so I just thought “Oh, might as well” so I jumped in! That was quite funny and it’s the one that sticks out!

Tell me about your journey with the UFA and yourinvolvement with YoUFA?My journey started in 2008 on a Lead Learner residential and since then I’ve gone on to be a YoUFA Rep, which I’ve enjoyed so much! Now I’m on the YoUFA Board and I want to continue for a long as possible.

What is your best memory in your UFA journey?

My best memory is from the 2008 Lead Learner

residential. The whole group had gotten really close over the week and we were all

devastated that we had to go home. As soon as the

food arrived for lunch, 12 of us sat around a tiny table laughing our heads off even though our eyes were still red from crying so much!

What impact has it had on you as an individual?I think I’m more confidant and more willing to put myself out there. Before I got involed with the UFA, I was always happy to be behind the scenes and do all of the work there but since 2008, I’m more likely put myself forward for things.

What have you learnt?I’ve learnt that you don’t have to let anything hold you back because you can always find a way past it. There’s always a solution.

YoUFiestA 2010 saw about 200 young people come

together to a Learning Festival run by young

people for young people to celebrate, reward, reunite,

raise awareness and have some fun and relax!

Well the next YoUFiestA is going to be bigger and we want to hear from U!

What do you want to see at the next YoUFiestA?

How do you want to be involved?

What idea’s do you have?

Get in touch!

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The Learning Festival

YoUFA now includes a team called the YoUFA Publishing Team who have been busy editing and designing a new publication that is to be launched at the end of the April. At the UFA we believe that young should be involved in their own and other peoples learning. That means creating activities for other young people and taking a leadership role. Therefore we wanted to have a guide for young people to set up, run and evaluate their own UFA activity and wanted to produce a guide in order to help them do this. The YoUFA Publishing Team met

over several Saturday meetings to design and decide on how the guide will look and what it will include they

were supported by adults and given training and feedback on their plans.

The YoUFA Publishing Team consists of 7 young people from Birmingham, Somerset, Huddersfield and Bolton.

“I was involved from the start and I thought that it was really good fun, and I met some great people as a result, as well as learning some new games and ac-tivities that I can do with young people. I would love for the project to be continued!”

Kieran Parkin a member of the YoUFA Publishing Team says:

Publishing Team: Leading Writers

The YoUFA Board met for the 4th time on Saturday 4th December, it defi-nitely promised to be a wintery board meeting but we were not short on positivity, ideas, buzz, creativity and of course food! We now have 4 new Board Members: Rachel, Katie, Jonelle and Neelam who have joined.

The Board are currently working on a variety of different things from a fundraising campaign, the YoUFA website, how to ensure the UFA and YoUFA keep growing and making sure more young

people continue to join the YoUFA Network.

Rachel Clarke, YoUFA Board Member quotes:

“I wanted to join the YoUFA Board as I

really enjoyed the whole UFA experi-

ence as a Peer Tutor, Lead Learner and Ap-

prentice Tutor.

I wanted to progress and the thought of staying involved in such a fun and inspirational programme lured me to apply.

The UFA as a whole has given me so many op-portunities that have been educational, fun-filled and so inspirational. I’ve gained so many skills for now and the future. Being a YoUFA Board Member means I can use my new skills and help others get a thrill out of something both educational and enjoy-able.

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I feel very privileged to be a part of such a great organisation, YoUFA means so much to me! :)”

The next YoUFA Board Meeting is on Saturday 9th July 2011 we will keep you all updated just make sure you check our Facebook page for latest updates.

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UFASt.Paul’s Cottages 59/60 Water Street The Jewellery Quarter Birmingham B3 1EP

0121 212 9838 0121 212 9585 info@ufa.org.uk www.ufa.org.uk Find us on Facebook

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Would you like to gain credit for the work you have done as a Lead Learner or YoUFA rep?

We can offer accreditation through the Open College Network (OCN). It is called ‘Young Leader training’.

You will need to spend some time putting a folder of evi-dence together which con-tains your comments, photos, club plans, together with some witness and feedback statements from the adult who supported you.

Caz and Insia would be very happy to help you to do it!

Just get in touch with us!It’s a great opportunity to build up your CV in preparation for college

interviews, your UCAS personal statement and

it will even look fantastic when presenting it to an

employer.

Interested?Get in touch!

What is SuperMe?

SuperMe is a web game which helps you to be better at life. It’s about resilience: how to feel good when life chucks you

lemons.

How to be better at thinking positively. How to cope with,

and learn to love, failure.

By playing SuperMe you’ll learn how to be more resilient in real life, and by playing every piece of content you’ll score points. Points! Everyone wants those!

Visit: www.playsuperme.com

It connects to your Facebook and saves your

scores!

Have something to say then we want to hear it! There are many ways you can get in touch!

Facebook - Search UFA- YoUFA Email - Insia@ufa.org.ukText/Phone - 07980673574YouTube - Search Super YoUFAPostal Address -See below

SHOUT about it!: Share YoUFA and UFA with someone new each week!

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Life

‘The UFA has done a great deal for me and I hope it continues to change other people’s

lives too.’

Designed and produced in-house at The University of the First Age. Registered charity No. 1061308