South Tees Youth Justice Service (STYJS) works with the Live Well Centre to offer regular sessions for young people.
Tuff Tees
Tuff Tees is aimed at boys who have been open to South Tees Youth Justice Service, or are on the periphery of offending.
The group meets every two weeks. The boys can use the gym, and play pool, board games, sticker darts, and other games. We give them a home-cooked meal, where we all sit together and chat about the week.
This is a safe space for the boys to get together, meet new friends, and just be seen as young lads – not offenders, not possible offenders, just young lads.
Lady Bugs
Lady Bugs is aimed at girls who have been open to South Tees Youth Justice Service, or are on the periphery of offending.
Like Tuff Tees, it’s a relaxed environment, and the girls are welcome to bring a friend. We focus on improving their self-esteem and confidence, and most girls leave once they feel more confident.
Sessions focus on what they’re interested in, which is usually hair and beauty.
NEET Tuff Tees
This is a new group for young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET). These young people can be difficult to engage with, and working with services is often a negative experience for them.
We decided to build on our successful ‘Tuff Tees’ approach. We offer a relaxed environment where young people can play a game of pool, chat about their week, and create a CV and fill in application forms. We also offer them a light lunch.
After only a couple of weeks, we already have a waiting list of young people who want to join.
Young victims group
We also hope to set up a group for young people who have been victims of crime. There are services which work with adult victims, but very few which work with child victims.
Being the victim of a crime can have a big impact on someone, so our young victims group would aim to build people’s self-esteem and confidence.
