Stanhope Youth Club

The story so far...

Stanhope Youth Group has been running since January 2023, when we started it in response to a community need that was identified in the wake of the Covid pandemic. It has been very popular and well attended; we have curated a diverse programme of activities and projects in order to offer a wide range of opportunities for our young people to engage with creativity, become invested in their community and simply be together in a safe welcoming space. The programme is designed in consultation with the young people who decide on the activities and outings they would like to do, and we are supported by our networks including Youth Print and the Key+ programme.

We have previously been supported by funding from Believe Housing, Weardale AAP and donations from parents and carers, and we are now seeking funding to continue the weekly youth club and to expand the programme to include more opportunities such as music, drama and digital projects.

The objectives for our youth programme are:

To support our young people to feel proud of our community and become involved and invested in its future
To deliver a fun, engaging and accessible programme of activities designed and led by our young people which offers them quality creative and cultural opportunities, and the chance to develop their skills and talents
To support our community in recovering from Covid-19, navigating the cost-of-living crisis and increase resilience to future challenges
To support the wellbeing and mental health of our young people by bringing them together to be active and creative
About us

Weardale Together is a Community Interest Company, founded in 2021 to combat isolation and loneliness in our rural community. We run the popular community cafe, Root & Branch and work in partnership with a range of organisations, artists and local services to connect our visitors with the support they need. We believe that creativity is fundamental to wellbeing, so we seek to remove barriers to the arts and creativity for all ages in our community. We want people to feel connected to our area and landscape, as well as to one another, and believe that despite our rural location, our community deserves quality cultural and creative opportunities.

We are a not-for-profit organisation which means any money we make is invested back into community projects.