Engage project recognises Carmarthenshire youngsters

Young people’s efforts and developments were recognised at the Engage Project celebratory event at Ffos Las, Trimsaran.
A total of 150 Engage participants between the ages of 14 and 19 participated in a range of interactive workshops during the day; workshops were delivered by Coleg Sir Gar, Carmarthenshire County Council’s Youth Service, Menter Bro Dinefwr, CAVS, Menter Cwm Gwendraeth, Llanelli Centre Project and the Youth Offending Prevention Service.

Young people had taster sessions on multi media, volunteering, the dangers of substance misuse, how to build your own future, team building, a fashion show based on recycled material and bike maintenance.
Some 80 members of staff also attended the event and took part in the workshops; staff included youth officers from Carmarthenshire County Council, Coleg Sir Gar, Neath Port Talbot CBC, Pembrokeshire, Neath PortTalbot College, Gower College, Careers Wales West, Adult Community Learning, Llanelli Rural Council, the Basic Skills Service and JobForce Wales.
Carmarthenshire Council’s Lifelong Learning Networks Officer, Matt Morden, hosted the day and a speech was given by Rob Sully, Carmarthenshire Council’s Director of Education on the achievements of the Engage Project.

Guest speaker on the day was Andrew Cooney, the youngest person to walk to the South Pole, who faced the challenges of dyslexia in his own education; young people had the opportunity to try out the tent he used, the sled he used and asked him questions on his amazing experience.
Tina Grech, Engage Project Manager for Carmarthenshire said: "To date 1,657 young people have participated in the Engage project in Carmarthenshire; many have gained employment, entered further learning, secured interviews or progressed onto courses in further education.”
“This is an outstanding result and I am so pleased to see that so many young people have developed due to the Engage project. When we initially work with a young person they sometimes have no self-belief and find it hard to find experiences to help them secure training or employment, but following support from Engage officers we see a significant change in them and the results speak for themselves.”

Engage is a regional project part-funded by the European Social Fund through the Welsh Government and the purpose of the Engage Project is to provide additional, individualised and intensive support for young people who are at risk, in order to ensure that they gain skills and confidence to succeed in education, employment and training and to reduce the numbers of young people in SW Wales who are NEET (not in employment education or training), at risk of becoming so or who are failing to reach their full potential.