Porch project

Mondays

The team are in the office

Tuesdays

Our youth workers work one to one with young people in local high schools during the day.

On Tuesday evenings we run a dedicated session for neurodiverse young people.

Wednesdays

Our youth workers work one to one with young people in local high schools during the day.

Thursdays

We get out and about in the community, engaging with young people through detached and outreach youth work.

Fridays

The youth centre is open for our regular drop-in session from 3pm for all local young people.

Hadleigh Youth Centre is the place to be yourself, hang out with friends, and dive into a range of activities and entertainment. Our youth centre is located right on Hadleigh High Street. Think comfy lounge spaces, gaming room, and even a music room. Our kitchen is fully equipped to enable young people to learn to cook. It’s your space to relax, play, and spend your free time.

We’re not just tied to our centre – we also hit the road to bring the Porch Project magic to you! Our mobile youth centre is your go-to spot for chilling out in the community. Keep an eye on our Facebook page to find out where we’ll be parked this week – we’re all about meeting you where the fun is.

We also get out and about on foot meeting young people through detached youth work.

Young people who are 11-18 years old

Activities run by the Porch Project and open access youth work teams are aimed at young people in school years 7 to 13.

In general activities run by the Porch Project and open access youth work teams for are open to young people once they have started year 7. However in order to support young people’s transition from Primary School to High School, we do encourage 11 year old year 6’s to engage in some activities during the summer:

This summer’s activities

Tasty Tuesday ✔ 11-year-old year 6’s welcome. Find out more and book via eequ.org/youthwork

Porchmaster ✔ 11-year-old year 6’s welcome. Find out more and book via eequ.org/youthwork

Drop-in ❌ Please wait until you are in year 7

Other restrictions?

Specific activities may have restricted age ranges, to allow the team to better target their support at specific groups of young people. Where this is the case, this will be clearly advertised.

Our free-to-access drop-in sessions are open to all young people aged 11+ (school year 7 upwards). While we do everything that we can to make these as accessible as possible, we are aware that these sessions may not be suitable for some young people.

Neurodiverse Accessible

Our dedicated session for neurodivergent young people will be returning this autumn. These sessions aim to create a secure and calm environment which includes many of the elements young people enjoy at our drop-in sessions, but with a clear and consistent routine. This enables those susceptible to sensory overload, or who need a more structured and predictable environment to engage in activities at the youth centre.

This term sessions will take place on Tuesdays, 6:30pm – 8pm at Hadleigh Youth Centre,
Sessions will start in October and run through until December. Participants must be booked in advance and commit to attending most of the sessions.

The sessions are for young people aged 11-18, and we believe that they will be most suitable for those who would benefit from a quiet environment and who are currently able to engage in mainstream education. We are aiming to bring together a small group of young people (maximum 8) who we hope will get along well together, and we invite you to book a meet-and-greet session to find out more.

To take part use the following link to book a meet-and-greet session at Hadleigh Youth Centre, for the young person and their parent / guardian. This will give you both an opportunity to find out more about the programme, meet some of the staff and look around the youth centre before committing to attending the session 👉https://bit.ly/24NDHADL

Yes and No…

Open access and drop-in sessions

Sessions advertised as drop-in or outreach sessions do not require pre-booking or registration. These are open sessions, open to all young people in the community. When young people arrive for the first time, our youth workers will collect basic details in order to keep them safe during their first visit. They will then be given a letter for their parents or guardians and a link to a consent form. The consent form will then need to be completed by a parent or guardian before they return for their second visit.

Other activities

Some activities may need pre-booking, such as some of our holiday programmes. This helps us to plan and ensure we have adequate resources for these sessions. Activities which require pre-booking will be listed on eequ.org/youthwork

The Porch Project team member bio’s can be read on our meet the team page.

We run a programme of activities during most school holidays. For some you will need book in advance, for others you can just turn up on the day.

Plans for each holiday are updated here in the weeks leading up to the school holiday. Watch this space for updates!

To view details of activities that need pre-booking, visit eequ.org/youthwork

Book in now!

The Porch Project team have our own dedicated social media accounts

Facebook @PorchProject1

Instagram @PorchProject2009

We’re all about creating opportunities for young people to create lasting friendships. Our social activities are designed to do just that! From fast-paced game tournaments to cooking workshops, there’s always something to get stuck into.