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Philosphy and aims

Background to Café K

Background:
The idea for this innovative youth project has been the result of a pilot project that the Jack Kane Management Committee initiated and oversaw in October 2002. Historically, there have been ongoing issues relating to young people hanging around in the Jack Kane Centre and the subsequent lying areas of Greater Craigmillar. Thus, the Niddrie House/Jack Kane pilot project was initiated in October 2002 with the aim of addressing young people’s exclusion from service provisions. The success of the pilot project in terms of working along side young people, who may have been excluded from accessing youth work services, has provided a platform for this new and innovative voluntary youth work service.

Purpose:
Café K strives to work with young people most excluded, creating a safe and comfortable environment. Café K works towards assisting and encouraging young people’s development through a range of educational interventions, creating new and challenging experiences. Café K aims not to exclude any young people and prioritises work with those most affected by exclusion.

Philosophy:
Café K’s ideology is to engage with young people in a pro-active and preventative informal educational way. Additionally, Café K believes that young people have the potential to make positive contributions to the wider community, thus becoming active experiential consultants and potential partners in taking community action.

Café K engages with socially excluded young people between the ages of 13-18years taking a holistic approach to address young people’s implicit and explicit needs. Café K enables, supports and encourages these young people through educational, supportive and preventative method’s for them to find there own way in life by assisting them to realise and fulfil their potential.

Café K Aims:
• To deliver a quality youth work provision for young people in the Greater Craigmillar area who are excluded or who do not want to use existing mainstream services.

• To continue to support young people whilst developing opportunities that enable challenging and enjoyable new experiences.

• To provide a platform for young people to participate alongside other partners and agencies in addressing local problems and issues.

• To build positive working relationships with existing service providers, enabling Café K to work more effectively with young people.