They are Charlene, Charlotte, David, Paula, Rebecca, Rebecca, Rob, Victoria and Michael. We hope to be training a larger team in the spring but with our waiting list at almost record levels it seemed crazy to keep 10 willing volunteers waiting. They’ll be meeting some of our young people on Wednesday 20th January and will be matched up soon after that. Good luck gang, we all hope you have an enjoyable and productive year ahead.

I am writing to you on behalf of The SMASH Youth Project (Swindon Mentoring and Self Help) which is a charity that supports vulnerable and disadvantaged young people form the age of 13 to 19 years old

As a recently appointed trustee and a mentor of six years and currently mentoring mentee number 8, I am writing to you for some much needed help.

We are currently mentoring young people in Swindon and have a current batch of mentors and mentees of 26 active relationships with a further 35 young people waiting to be mentored with an ever increasing list of referrals. We have 10 new volunteers going into training in January. To support and continue training new mentors it costs the project around £1500 per mentor per annum. Our mentors undergo more than 30 hours of training in their first year with us and along with travel and incidental expenses like playing sport, getting involved in the arts in some way or maybe just going out for a cup of coffee and a chat with their young person the costs can mount up. We also offer regular supervision and a 24 hr emergency help line to our mentors and all of that costs money too. In fact we estimate that it costs about £1,500 per year to support a SMASH mentor.

I understand the current economic climate is still difficult and money is tight not just for businesses but for everyone and would like to ask if you are able to help in a small way by sponsoring a mentor. We are looking for individuals, companies or other organisations who will be willing to sponsor a mentor over the course of the coming year. That could cost as little as £20 or as much as £1,500 per mentor depending on your budget but it is vital that we find the funds to continue this incredible important work. Without the support of the community SMASH simply can not continue to do what it does.

Please would you give this your consideration, as these young people will be the future and could well be either an employee in your company or a consumer of your products or services.

If you are in a position to help we would be more than happy to come and make a presentation to your business and you will have the chance to meet some of the team and some of the people you will be helping.

Please find enclosed information about the project and we look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Yours sincerely

Paul Brown Trustee
For SMASH Youth Project

To sponsor a mentor please contact SMASH or download the sponsor form below
Sponsor a mentor

Melissa Butler presenting a cheque for £140 that she raised by climbing Ben Nevis with her family including  her dad Norman, who has been a stalwart fundraiser for SMASH for several years now. Great to see her following in the Norman’s not inconsiderable footprints. Thanks Melissa!

Here are some of the SMASH gang, with Katie from Swindon Dance.

They are Heidi, Tammy, Mica and Jemma.

Not appearing here are Sophie and Hayley, who also took part. All ably assisted by our very own Carrie.

Great stuff gang! sorry about the terrible camera work.

This year’s SMASHfest will be held at 12 bar on Westcott place

 from 7pm on Thursday 21st July

Bans playing will include:

Mortdelamare

Canary Club

The Demented

Fallen Angels

and

 Dining with Zeus

 There will also be a Bar-be-Que , Henna Tattooing from Henna Magic, street theater from Sixth Sense theater group, Fire Juggling from Jake the Juggler, Maz’s nail bar and more bedsides. 

Download your free poster here 

smashfest poster pdf

Print ‘em out on some bright paper and stick ‘em up

See you there 

Almost two thirds (64%) of children and young people say they’ve never had any support dealing with exams 

New video from ChildLine aims to help young people cope with anxiety 

Young people in Swindon will be amongst the millions of under 18s that will sit exams this summer and according to a new survey by ChildLine*, 92% of young people feel anxious about their revision and exams.  Findings reveal almost two thirds (64%) say they’ve never had any support in dealing with exams and that over half of young people (53%) say pressure from parents to do well is a major cause of anxiety.

Last year (2010/11) the ChildLine base in Exeter counselled 86 children about exam stress. 

Anxiety can make people feel tired, upset, worried, shaky, light-headed or frustrated, and can sometimes present itself as a panic attack or nausea. It’s very common for young people to feel anxious about exams and to help, ChildLine has made a new short film about combating anxiety, which can be viewed on a new ‘Beat Exam Stress’ hub on their website.

Results from the ChildLine poll also found:

·         Other main causes of anxiety for young people are not getting into university or college (57%) and fears about sitting the exam (56%)

·         Almost half (45%) say they have skipped meals

·         Two thirds (64%) of those surveyed said they have had trouble sleeping

·         Talking to friends (43%) is the most common way of dealing with exam anxiety. 

·         14% say they drink alcohol to cope with exam anxiety.

Alex, ChildLine’s message board host says, “The exam period can be a very stressful and anxious time, so it’s important to ensure you take regular breaks from revision and have a chance to unwind and relax. If you’re finding it difficult log on to the ChildLine website to speak to other young people in the same situation and get advice and tips from our self help sections.”

If you are sitting exams this summer, the following advice can help you cope with anxiety:

·          It can sometimes feel like the whole of your future depends on what grades you get. First of all, try not to panic. You have a while until exam results come out. Even if you don’t get the results you need or expect, you still have options and can get help with any decisions you have to make.

·         There is nothing wrong with being worried about the actual exam, it’s very normal. The more prepared we are, the more confident we feel in being able to cope. Read more advice on revision tips and how to keep calm before an exam here.

·         Check out the new ChildLine video, designed to help young people cope with anxiety, or look for tips and advice on the ChildLine website. 

For further information please contact the NSPCC communications team on 0203 188 3655 or out of hours on 07977 127064.

*Survey completed on ChildLine website by 1,275 children and young people taking exams in the summer of 2011, Survey Monkey, 18^th April-3^rd May 2011

We are delighted to announce that Bear Grylls is now the Patron for SMASH.Bear says it is a “Total honour” and that he would love to support SMASH as Patron.He says  ” SMASH do an incredible job helping encourage disadvantaged young people to fulfill their dreams and potential.  Love.  Listen.  Support.  Those are the most important things we can all offer these kids”Bear also very generously gave SMASH a cheque to “Help get the ball rolling” for SMASHFEST2 on July 21st at 12bar.He will be away for SMASHFEST2/ A.G.M. but sends us his Good Wishes for this event……which is rapidly shaping up to be something AMAZING!!…………It is such a huge honour to have Bear’s patronage and we know that his support and his belief in SMASH will be massively beneficial to our young people and our Volunteers.

Project Co-ordinator required to work with young people and volunteers on an  exciting new heritage project with the SMASH Youth Project in Swindon.  The post is 21 hours per week and the successful applicant will need to have a relevant qualification and experience. An enhanced CRB check will also be required. For more information and an application pack please contact SMASH on 01793 879297 or email smash.yproject@swindon.gov.uk . Application deadline Thursday 21st  April and interviews will be held on 28th and 29th April.