Growing opportunities for young people in and around Dartmouth

Since November 2014, Dartmouth Academy staff have been opening up the Ivy Lane Centre every Thursday evening for young people from the town, with as many as 35 attending each week. The numbers grow further this week as a new minibus service will bring in young people from Dittisham, Capton and Blackawton. This has been possible due to the hard work of a group called FOIL, (Friends of Ivy Lane). The group came into being because Devon County Council withdrew youth provision from the town, which saw ‘Decks’, the former youth club, close down. FOIL has been well supported by Dartmouth Town Council who have been firm supporters and co-organisers of this initiative. Great work from the Dittisham and Blackawton parishes, supported by Cllr. Jonathan Hawkins, secured funding to pay for the Academy’s minibus driver and fuel, to enable young people in their villages access the same opportunities as those living in the town. The Academy is not charging for the use of the minibus. On Wednesday, Youth Genesis, a Torbay based youth group came to the Academy to launch their street based work and explain how their volunteers would be around in the afternoons and early evening to listen to what young people of the town wanted and to support them during the Dart Music Festival next week. Nick Hindmarsh, Chair of FOIL said “When Devon axed local youth workers there was a very real fear that they would be lost for good but what the past few months has shown us all is that where groups and individuals in the town come together we can achieve great things and make a real difference.’