Category: Urban Devotion Birmingham

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: A privilege to partner with schools across Erdington

Words & pics supplied by Urban Devotion Birmingham

UDB has always partnered with local schools. We see, now more than ever, how stretched teachers and school staff are – trying to give their best with limited resources and recognition. If you are one of those people – thank you for all you are doing!

By my rough calculations, once a young person reaches the end of their education at the age of 18, they have spent the equivalent of two full years in school. That’s a lot of time. The opportunity schools have to support, shape and nurture the lives of the children and young people who attend them is huge!

We are privileged to be able to join schools in this opportunity wherever we can, always with a heart to connect with and support children and young people in Erdington.

As we look forward to a new academic year, we will once again be in some of our Erdington Primary and Secondary schools. If you see one of our team in your school then please come over and say hi – we love to hear from you!

We know that the start of the academic year can bring up a range of different feelings; expectations can seem higher, you have to get back into the term-time rhythm, you can be both excited and nervous about seeing people.

We are here to listen and support you as you transition back – just come along to one of our drop-ins for a chat; you can find the details on our website.

For more on Urban Devotion Birmingham visit www.urbandevotion.org

Urban Devotion Birmingham is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: The transforming power of asking why

Words & pics supplied by Urban Devotion Birmingham

(Ed’s note – this column was written for the Erdington Local printed edition and first published on 15.08.24)

It’s a hot day. Walking along the street you spot a group of people looking into a parked car. One has a hammer and you watch as they smash one of the windows. The rest of the group starts cheering.

What’s going on? Would your judgement change depending on whether it was ‘a group of young people’ or ‘a group of old people’?

We make judgements to help us understand situations and keep ourselves and others safe. However, judgements can be skewed by information that isn’t reality. Newspaper headlines, biases, and people’s experiences influence how we feel, think, and the decisions we make.

With the lighter evenings and summer holidays in full swing, there are more children and young people out and about. Each one has their own story, hopes, and fears.

At UDB we want to be available to listen to these young voices and understand their perspectives. By making space, we can better appreciate the actions and intentions of others.

Back to the scenario: the group were young people who spotted a dog panting in a locked car. The owner asked for help having locked their keys in the car, so one of the young people ran to a shop and asked for a hammer.

What if I hadn’t revealed the full story? What story might you have assumed? It’s natural to form judgements, but sometimes it’s worth taking time to hear the whole story. Asking why can transform a situation.

For more on Urban Devotion Birmingham visit www.urbandevotion.org

Urban Devotion Birmingham is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

 

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Free activities across summer holidays with Urban Devotion Birmingham

Words and pic supplied by Amy Hayes – Co-Director, Urban Devotion Birmingham

When we spoke to young people and children in Erdington about the summer holidays many were full of excitement; looking forward to spending time with friends and family, having a much-needed break from their studies.

School holidays provide a great opportunity for rest and play – two things that are vitally important for our wellbeing.

We know the pressure parents and carers can feel to meet these needs through expensive trips or activities. The reality is that most of us are going to be looking at how we can fill the time without the expense.

From experience with my kids, I know that those random bike rides in the park, games in the local field, and film nights in the house can be just as precious as the expensive trips. It’s about the time we shared together.

If you’re a parent/carer and reading this… release that pressure to be spending loads!

Here at Urban Devotion Birmingham (UDB) we love connecting with children, young people, and their families across Erdington through the school term, and this doesn’t stop in the summer holidays! For five weeks of the summer, UDB are hosting free activities for both children and for young people across multiple neighbourhoods so there will be one near you!

No sign-up is needed, and everyone who comes along will have the opportunity to engage in a different theme each week, connect with others their age and enjoy a meal together.

Why don’t you build these activities into your summer plans? We’d love to see you.

For more on Urban Devotion Birmingham visit www.urbandevotion.org

Urban Devotion Birmingham is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Times of change

Words & pics supplied by Urban Devotion Birmingham

We are in a time of change for many young people.

Whether it’s the end of a school year, saying goodbye to school or college, or finishing exams, there is a significance in finishing the academic year and looking ahead to what’s next.

This time of transition happens to coincide with another huge moment of potential transition and change – a general election! No matter the outcome, this can be a time of turbulence, of promised changes, and a country waiting in anticipation.

Change can be exciting and good for us. It can also induce fear, anxiety and high levels of stress.

Over-exposure to the stress related with change can have negative impacts, especially on children and young people even disrupting brain development when experienced for prolonged periods of time.

One of the privileges we have at UDB is to be a source of stability and continuity for young people, giving them spaces to self-express, de-stress and find consistency.

These things aren’t limited to us as youth workers; if you know a young person why don’t you check in with them in the next few days? The well-used saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ is so true and you showing care can make a real difference.

As you do that we’d love for you to encourage them to connect with one of our spaces so that we can be part of that village too. Use the QR code to see what we are up to.

For more on Urban Devotion Birmingham visit www.urbandevotion.org or scan the QR code in this article.

Urban Devotion Birmingham is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Exams and young people’s wellbeing

Words & pics supplied by Urban Devotion Birmingham

Exam season has begun, and it can be a stressful time to be a young person. Whether as a year 6 pupil, feeling nervous about the big move to secondary, or preparing for GCSE’s or A-Levels, it can be a pressure filled time of year.

The problem is that this pressure can become a negative and crippling force in many young people’s lives, impacting their mental wellbeing in small or significant ways.

For some this can look like overworking and getting stuck in revision. For others it may be complete avoidance or an inability to sit and revise.

As adults we can all play a significant role in helping make this time less stressful and mentally taxing for young people by encouraging and role modelling what it looks like to find a healthy balance between focus, rest and play is essential.

The reality is succeeding during exams does require times of focus, and revision cannot be ignored.

But it also needn’t be all consuming. We all need time to rest our minds and our bodies, and making sure young people know ways to rest and relax is important.

Play can be a great way to do this. This will look different for different ages and for different people, but includes elements of exploration, creativity, and fun.

Perhaps it’s playing a sport, or painting, or jumping on a trampoline – the possibilities are endless! This is as essential for our mental wellbeing, and performance, as getting a good night’s sleep.

For more on Urban Devotion Birmingham visit www.urbandevotion.org

Urban Devotion Birmingham is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: The importance of play, free drop-in sessions for young people with Urban Devotion Birmingham

Words & pic supplied by Emma Winmill, Co-Director at UDB / Artwork by Ash Porter

For the last 20 years Urban Devotion Birmingham have hosted spaces for young people, children, and families to connect, have fun, and play.

Since the Pandemic we have intentionally sought to provide new play experiences for young people to develop new skills and hobbies to help address the significant challenges young people experienced during Covid-19. This includes everything from water sports to sewing, singing to board games, rock climbing to graffiti art, football to photography.

We have had a lot of fun trying new things, getting wet and getting creative! There are some very talented young people who have tried their hand at such things as songwriting, painting and paddleboarding and found joy in doing so. 

There is a bedrock of evidence linking play with an array of positive benefits, including improved learning, enhanced wellbeing and social skills. Play at all ages brings joy and excitement, reduces stress, improves problem solving skills and increases our ability to overcome low self-esteem and feel comfortable in our own skin.

Click on the QR code to see more information about the open access drop-ins we run for young people, children and families across Erdington where you will find some of these play opportunities, as well as free snacks and time to connect with others in a safe space.

The QR code will also give you links to our Instagram and Facebook accounts, which we update frequently with updates and any last-minute changes.   

For more on Urban Devotion Birmingham visit www.urbandevotion.org

Urban Devotion Birmingham is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.

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COMMUNITY ANCHORS: Come and say hello – a message from Urban Devotion Birmingham

Words by Amy Heyes, Co-director at UDB / Artwork by Ash Porter

For the last 20 years we have been engaging with young people, children, and families in Erdington.

You may see our team out walking the streets in our blue coats and hoodies, or with our Mobile Youth Venue (MYV) – come and say hi if you do! In addition to this we work with local primary and secondary schools and run weekly free, open access drop-ins for children, families, and young people in partnership with the churches that host us. Snacks are included and if you’re a child or young person we’d love to see you there.

Between Monday and Tuesday, we run a children’s and two youth drop-ins from the basement of St Martins Church on Witton Lodge Road.

On a Tuesday we also host a youth cafe from St Barnabas’ Café on Erdington High Street.

We have a Wyrley Birch family drop-in on a Wednesday. In the summer this is on Witton Lakes, through the winter Lakeside have hosted us.

On Thursdays we take our MYV to Erdington Oaks Play Park on Topcroft, and we also run both a family and youth drop in at Lighthouse Church in Pype Hayes.

Every Friday we finish the week with a children’s and a youth drop-in from St Chads Church on Stoneyhurst Road, Erdington Hall.

Please scan our QR code to see more information including sign up forms and a link to our Instagram and Facebook accounts where we share updates and last minute changes – please check before attending, especially in school holidays.

For more on Urban Devotion Birmingham visit www.urbandevotion.org

Urban Devotion Birmingham is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.