Craig's Story

Craig and his peers face high unemployment, few facilities and poor transport links. But the Welsh Assembly Government is now getting young people like Craig involved in the regeneration of their communities - thanks to Save the Children's example.

Here to Help

In 2004, Save the Children started Here to Help, a scheme with British Gas, in Gilfach. The project promoted the idea of getting young people involved in tackling poverty.

Craig and his friends were asked to join the project and called themselves the Gilfach Crew. They gathered young people's views about regeneration and presented them to local residents and the local authority.

Craig says, "We made a CD-ROM about change in the valleys and what we wanted. Basically there's not much around here.

"We were also asked to go down to Save the Children's headquarters in London and do a workshop."

Creating change

"Some things have changed because of the Crew," says Craig. "It's got cleaner, that's for one. It's made adults listen to us. Young people in Gilfach are being taken more seriously in small ways."

He adds: "I think we'll get some of the small things we asked for, like a motorbike park. We've already got a skate park."

Government takes it up

As a result of Here to Help, the Welsh Assembly Government has issued draft guidance to its community co-ordinators, recommending they adopt a similar approach to involving children and young people in community regeneration.

The government has also put forward a proposal to fund youth development workers to support the new guidance. And this could mean more than 100 new workers across Wales to support young people living in poverty!