Hastings & St Leonards is always the site of dozens of different community schemes and projects, and early in February this year, eighteen young people from Sri Lanka and the UK arrived in the town to take part in the World Youth Millennium Awards (WYMA) programme.
The WYMA programme is a scheme that allows young people from all over the UK to work and live with young people from a developing country. This encourages a cross- cultural understanding while at the same time the young people do voluntary work which will benefit local communities where they stay.
From February for three months this year, a group of 17 to 25 year olds have been doing voluntary work in Hastings, taking part in community projects and living with families in the town. The team has been divided into nine pairs each with a Sri Lankan and Briton who live and work together with for the duration of the programme In May the whole team will go to a Sri Lankan community to live and do voluntary work for a further three months.
The aim of the project is for each young person to do work of practical value to people in each country, learn about other cultures and about themselves, develop values which will help them play a positive role in their own societies and gain new skills and experiences. This is achieved through voluntary placements, living with local families and being in counterpart pairs. Each pair is responsible for running an education day every Friday to teach the rest of the team about a local theme of their own choice. Themes the team has chosen to do include disability awareness, community art and the Battle of Hastings of course! Hastings was chosen for the UK host community by the Prince’s Trust. It was felt that there were lots of opportunities in Hastings & St Leonards where the team could have an impact through voluntary work and other community involvement. The team would also have a chance to experience an English seaside town with its unique cultural interests.
Two project supervisors have helped the team throughout the programme one from the UK and one from Sri Lanka. John Hickson, from Yorkshire has been here since November setting up the project. He said: This is a really challenging project for all those involved but I think it benefits the team, and the community gains, make it very worthwhile. I have been delighted with the attitude and helpfulness from the people in Hastings for which I am very grateful. The team has been welcomed be everyone, which included a welcome by both the Council and the Young Persons Council.
Rohini Pathiraja from Sri Lanka said: Hastings is very good, but all of us from Sri Lanka have found the weather a bit cold compared to what we are used to! However, we are all learning lots and everyone is very friendly. Projects that the team are involved in are very varied:
Volunteers will be taking part in a horticultural project for people with learning difficulties. They will be working alongside the group in growing and care of plants, maintenance of site, helping with gardening projects off site and dealing with the general public.
M.A.G.P.I.E supports primary schools with children who have behavioural problems. Volunteers work with children, families and schools providing activities and help. The volunteers are supporting small groups and providing activities during break time at both Hollington and Elphinstone Primary Schools.
The Seaview Project provides a drop in centre, housing support services and a health programme for marginalised and homeless people. The volunteers have been helping with cooking, and working with the people who visit, listening and talking to them.
Volunteers are helping adults with learning disabilities and will be offering support and help in different activities including music, art, literacy sport and dancing.
This is a charity dedicated to counteracting the effects of poverty, neglect or abuse suffered by children. The volunteers are helping in School’s Out Club which is a scheme for children to go to after school, the Fun Bus a travelling play scheme and a nursery for young children and their parents.
The others are Hastings Blind Association, Sure Start, Women’s Royal Voluntary Service, Hastings Trust, St Michael’s Hospice and Hastings College Learning Support Department. Mayor of Hastings Jackie Dowling welcomed the group at the Town Hall, when they arrived in February. She said: I feel really honoured that Hastings & St Leonards is playing host to this team of volunteers. I hope that both the British volunteers and the Sri Lankan volunteers get as much out of being here and taking part in the various projects as our local communities will.
WYMA is an exchange programme which is run by Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and The Prince’s Trust as part of the World Youth programme and involves young people from the UK and developing countries such as South Africa, Thailand and in this case Sri Lanka.
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This page last updated: 06/04/2001