Brixham YES Neighbourhood Challenge

Read the Brixham YES Neighbourhood Challenge blog

About the approach

Brixham Neighbourhood Challenge will recruit Community Organisers who will meet and support people 'where they are' across Brixham. Mentoring and peer-to-peer learning are at the core of this project. People from all ages will be stimulated to exchange skills in a collaborative and productive environment. They will encourage the creation of informal and proactive groups and projects that will be focused on addressing local issues.

A refurbished community building - The Edge - will nurture participants by offering a range of support, facilities, events and learning experiences. It will be brought to life as a community hub, home to a creative café, a range of pop-up facilities, enterprise pods, social activities and the new home of the group's core work with young people.

Challenge Prizes

Groups and individuals will be incentivised by a variety of Challenge Prizes and the best ideas will be supported to develop community action groups, identifying and nurturing young entrepreneurs and establishing intergenerational microenterprises.

About the organisations

The lead: Brixham Youth Enquiry Service

Brixham Youth Enquiry Service (YES) is a volunteer-led organisation that works with the most vulnerable young people in Brixham. The charity was established in 1996 and focuses on engaging and supporting young people between the ages of 11 and 25, as they grow into adulthood. YES provides challenging community opportunities for their young volunteers to learn a range of skills which will equip them for life's challenges, as well as supporting young people to create their own groups.

YES reaches into the community through intergenerational work. It is passionate about enabling the Brixham community to create inclusive opportunities for 'self-powered' regeneration.

Brixham YES will develop a creative hub for community activity, based in a former church in the centre of the town. The group aims to build on strengths and bring people together to identify and initiate community-led action and break down barriers between different age groups.

About the neighbourhood

The town of Brixham in Torbay, South Devon, is a small seaside resort with a population of 20,500. The population reflects a wide range of income and opportunity within the town, with those living in relative poverty alongside more affluent sections of the community. With declining fishing and tourism industries, Brixham's employment potential is suffering and increasingly young people are leaving to seek employment and housing elsewhere.

The key strength of Brixham people is their passion for and pride in their community. Many residents have family roots going back generations and are keen to protect the uniqueness of the area. The expanding older population has a wealth of transferable skills and experience to share, but much of this is 'untapped'. The potential exists to unlock this social capital and find new and innovative ways to bring individuals and generations together to develop projects to strengthen Brixham in different ways.