We aim to include the excluded, to say “yes” to young people who are always told “no”. The sad news is, there is so much demand for our services that we are now having to turn young people away.
By supporting the Push The Door Appeal you can help raise the funds we need to move to our new building that would enable us to meet the demand for our existing services and start up other new exciting ones.
Take our Coffee Bar for example. Some young people don’t like to come because it is so cramped. With more space there will be comfortable lounge seating, pool tables and an internet cafe. We hope to have a performance area, enabling evening classes in drama and dance, and some safe outdoor seating away from the busy road.
At the moment our training centre is extremely busy, particularly woodwork, which is full. A new building would have disabled access, a fully-equipped IT suite and a larger woodwork workshop with room for other projects such as a bicycle maintenance course. Music will be taught in a fully-equipped, commercial quality sound studio. Bands could also practice there. Art will have a spacious studio and will be able to increase the number of skills being taught and the number learning them.
Mentoring and Family Support is our fastest growing service and we now have a team of nearly 40 volunteers but do not have a room big enough for them all to meet in for training and support. With more space we would also be able to develop specialist programmes to reduce anger, temper and anti-social behaviour and combat bullying, and also look to offer deeper counselling.
There is so much more we could do – but we simply do not have the space. With your help, we can raise the funds needed to rent and refurbish a building three times the size of our current venue- it’s time to Push The Door.
Become a Push Partner
We are looking for 250 people who will donate regularly £10.00 a month, which will pay the rent on our new premises. Partner with us by setting up a standing order using this form.
Push The Door Update
Isn’t it amazing the way that people jump to conclusions when they see something?
What do you think when you see the Estate Agent’s advertising board put in place on a business property? Closing down or expansion?
All too often people assume the worst, as was the case recently when someone phoned The Door Youth Project to ask are you closing down? The answer is of course the complete opposite!
Staff at The Door Youth Project have been dreaming of moving for about 4 years and now that dream is becoming reality. Ironically the funding cuts resulted in the closure of the Connexions Service for young people, situated at the top of the High Street in Stroud. However, It is now this building that The Door Youth Project is intending to move into and expand its services.
Part of the expansion plans will include the introduction of a retail sales outlet, to raise funds for the much needed charity. The shop will sell its own range of unique, high quality crafts, some of which will be made by young people. The projects busy training department will also expand to introduce retail training for young people, plus a number of other training opportunities.
Brendan Conboy, Chief Executive - “We are very excited to now be moving to this great new location. We have struggled and had to make do for years. The young people that we support deserve to have the best services possible and with this new building we will be closer to providing that service.”
Although it has been a struggle to secure funding for rent and salaries of new staff required, the move has now been made possible by a combined effort of donations and grants. The project wishes to express its thanks to the following:
Stroud District Council Youth Development Fund, Renishaw PLC, Provident Financial UK, Beatrice Laing Trust and the many individual regular donors that now support the project as PUSH (The Door) Partners.
Brendan Conboy, Chief Executive - “We still need to find someone that would like to rent our current building from us, as this income is essential to help meet our new rent payments. However, we have faith that this person will be found soon.”
A few minor alterations will now be carried out, starting in February, with the project relocating around Easter time next year.
