Charity Spotlight: The Hive

3 minute read

Carpenters Group are proud to partner with so many amazing charities and good causes that do vital work in our local communities. Every month we shine the spotlight on one of these to showcase everything they have to offer.

This month we have picked The Hive - A charity who offer Wirral's young people opportunities and experiences they cant find elsewhere. 

August: The Hive

Please introduce your charity and a bit about yourselves...

We are The Hive Youth Zone, a charity created in 2017 dedicated to making sure Wirral’s young people have somewhere safe to go, something positive to do and someone trusted to talk to. 

We do this through a huge range of activities in our state-of-the-art space in Birkenhead – and the expertise of our incredible team of youth workers, who are there for young people however they’re needed. They bring the fun, but also empower young people to build their resilience, skills, ambition and knowledge for adult life. 35% of our members have an additional need or disability – a higher proportion than any other youth zone in England, and more than half of our members live in areas which are among the most deprived in the country.

In the seven years since we started our work, we’ve:

• Delivered more than half a million activities.
• Issued more than 16,500 memberships to Wirral's young people.
• Supported young people from wards right across the Wirral.
• Been supported by more than 8,000 volunteers who've donated more than 30,000 hours of time to support young people. 

Our expert youth work has changed lives forever. In the words of one of our first members, Alex, who was one of the young people who originally helped to create The Hive and now volunteers with The Hive as an adult: “The Hive gave me so much support and so many opportunities as a young person, they were always there throughout every high and low. I used to say The Hive team saved me, but in fact, they didn’t: they empowered me to save myself.” Read more member stories here.

What do you do?

Putting young people first, we combine high quality youth work with inspiring activities in an inclusive, safe space. We provide the opportunities, knowledge and confidence to make positive choices, raising aspirations for individuals and their communities. 

We offer young people access to a wealth of creative and engaging activities across our universal and inclusion youth work sessions, alongside bespoke projects including Duke of Edinburgh, kit car, Dungeons and Dragons as well as our street-based outreach and our holiday club activities. Health and well being is a priority and we work with other partners and local schools to support young people with school attendance, wellbeing and employability.

For more details on what we offer at The Hive please click here.

How can people seek support from you? 

Any young person aged 8-19 (or up to 25 with additional needs) can become a Hive member.

If you’re an organisation keen to work with us, you can team up with us on projects or become part of the incredible family of Hive supporters who help us fundraise the £1.3m it takes every year to deliver our work. Our Hive 100 campaign is a fantastic way to get involved – joining other local businesses who all share a commitment to supporting Wirral’s young people.

Are you looking for volunteers?

Volunteers are an integral part of #TeamHive and what we offer to young people – that’s why a culture of volunteering has been part of our story since we opened.

Our passionate volunteers generously give their time, strengthening our offer through their diverse range of skills, experiences, perspectives, ability and interests.

They fundraise, cook, goalkeep, support our reception, help our youth workers run games and activities, steer our work as trustees, look after our garden, paint walls and much, much more.

Find out more here.

How can people find out more?

Visit our website at https://www.thehiveyouthzone.org/