Reach out

The work these dedicated people do is diverse, difficult and at times what many would consider dangerous.

Senior youth worker Adrian Griffiths, 40, works with young people in the streets and parks of Bournemouth.

He has the tricky task of approaching groups of teenagers in parks or on street corners, winning their trust and then teaching vital life skills.

He has spent months being verbally abused by youngsters only to eventually find a way in and win their trust.

Over a period of months, or years, depending on how frequently they meet, Mr Griffiths builds a relationship and begins working with the young people. Perhaps initially offering them contraception, then advice on how to look after their mates who have drunk too much and at times to advocating on their behalf with police officers.

He said: "I want to be a kind of mentor - an adult they can trust.

"Lots of young people have things that they don't want to talk to their parents about and I am someone they can talk to about these things."

He said that the best thing about the job is the enthusiasm of young people. He said: "I like listening to their dreams. They have so much energy. I think youth workers can make a difference to the lives of young people."

Mr Griffiths has seen some of the young people he worked with years ago grow up and start families and some have even become youth workers themselves.

He said: "It is always best if you can grow your own youth workers."

Mr Griffiths from Southbourne admits: "Some young people you are not going to reach and there are some people who I have refused to write references for when they get into serious trouble as they deserve to go to prison."

Rather than hanging around in parks on Friday evenings, another youth worker, Rob Jennings, is based at Townsend Youth Centre.

He oversees Thai boxing, Bollywood dancing, football games and healthy cooking lessons. Within the next couple of months youngsters will also be able to use a fully kitted out and sound proof recording studio at the centre.

Mr Jennings, 35, from Moordown said: "I spend a lot of time finding out what the young people want and trying to work out how we can provide that for them."

Recently the Prince's Trust cleared a garden outside the centre, creating a sandpit for use by the children of the young parents group and raised beds in which the young people are hoping to grow vegetables.

On average between 40 and 50 young people are in the centre every weekday evening. Most evenings hot food is available.

Staff at the centre help young people create CVs and fill in job applications.

Mr Jennings is very proud of the centre's successful football team but said the worst part of his job is the constant struggle for funding.

Local democracy youth worker Tim Oliver, helps young people get involved in the democratic process and gets them to have a say on decisions that affect their lives.

He works with the 16 elected young people on the Bournemouth Youth Council and with Bournemouth's representative and deputy member in the UK Youth Parliament.

Mr Oliver, 35, from Bournemouth also spends time in schools conducting assemblies and assist in lessons about democracy.

He enjoys watching the young people grow in confidence, increase their knowledge and improve their communication skills, but dislikes battling against top down government targets.

Despite the diverse ways of working all these youth workers have one thing in common and that is they have the best interests of young people at heart.

Mr Griffiths said: "Youth work is not really a job it is a vocation."

Not just young people, but all people should be grateful to youth workers for their hard work in securing a more hopeful future for teenagers in Dorset.