About Us

The Isle of Wight Youth Connexions Service aims to provide young people with learning and enjoyable opportunities, challenging experiences together with information, support and guidance to enable them to achieve and develop their skills, abilities, self esteem, value and identity in their transition to adult life. The Service is part of the Isle of Wight Council's Children and Young People Directorate and is staffed by qualified  and trained workers who create a warm, welcoming and caring environment for young people. 

It provides building based, mobile and street youth work programmes and also supports the work of the voluntary sector and other agencies.  It works with young people aged 9-21 years with focus on young people aged 13-19 years and offers young people programmes of planned activities and events which combine, fun, recreation and learning as well as a programme of social education.

Youth workers listen to what young people say and work with them to meet their needs of people who are looking for a safe and friendly place to meet with their friends and to engage voluntarily in the opportunities available.  All young people who come into contact with the Youth Connexions have the opportunity to benefit from the advice and support given by its staff.

The Service is subject to ongoing inspections, which conform to the standards outlined in the Ofsted Youth Work Inspection Framework.  These inspections take account of changes in youth work nationally and locally and report on the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of the work.

The Youth work curriculum is designed and agreed with young people to take account of their needs and interests.  It includes Health Education, Sexual Health, Equality/Diversity, The Arts, Strategic Objectives which are:  Learning for Life, Empowerment and Equality/Diversity.

Engagement with Young People relies on their voluntary participation and is therefore required to be flexible, enjoyable, exciting and challenging, if it is to be successful.

Services for Young People

All of our provisions offers young people support, personal, social and health education, information, informal education opportunities and a programme based on our Curriculum, audited by our Quality Assurance System.

We hope you find this website informative as we constantly strive to keep it up-to-date, but would welcome any feedback you may have.

We have Youth Centres as well as a Mobile Youth Initiatives working in towns and rural areas as well as Street Youth Workers, Challenge and Adventure, Island Youth Water Activities Centre and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.

You can also become a member of the Isle of Wight Youth Council and/or the UK Youth Parliament to represent other young people in decision making bodies.  

If you fancy something different, many of our Centres offer the opportunity for International Exchange Visits to Germany, Latvia and Finland for example.

We also offer training courses for all Youth Connexion staff as well as staff from the voluntary sector and those engaging with young people - see our Training Section.

Please click on our Youth Centre and Projects links above to find out more information about our Centres and the Projects that we currently run.