More than 50 young people have brushed up their employability skills and improved their CVs as part of a project funded by Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews.
The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland PCC provided a grant worth almost £10k to Rowlatts Hill Youth Club to support its Golden Token project.
The initiative aims to address the underlying issues that drive some young people to engage in anti-social behaviour (ASB) and serious violence such as unemployment, poor mental health and substance misuse.
As part of a raft of activities designed to engage young people in positive activities, the Golden Token has provided free digital upskilling sessions, employability workshops, creative media exploration and sports activities.
Other workshops have been dedicated to boosting employment readiness covering CV development, job searching and interview techniques, creative media including music, podcasting and videography and collaboration workshops with Leicestershire Police addressing important safety issues such as knife crime, fraud, cybercrime and young people’s rights during stop and search procedures.
The youth club recently launched women-only sessions to address issues relating to violence against women and girls (VAWG) – a key priority for the Commissioner.
The sessions have drawn 10 women weekly, and the numbers are continuing to grow.
Meanwhile, since January 2024, more than 1,300 young people have visited the youth club which has now become a thriving community hub offering a broad range of support services including a dedicated food bank.
So far, the PCC’s funding has supported more than 50 young people to improve and create CVs while more than 40 young people attended a Parliament workshop that saw over half successfully registering to vote.
A further 250 adults have received support.
Mr Matthews said: “Young people need a safe space to grow, develop and build their confidence. Golden Token provides all of this but much more, including practical support on securing employment and upskilling in areas that are vital in the modern workplace.
“We can only successfully prevent crime by working as a team. We need ensure our communities have the infrastructure necessary to support young people and help them become more resilient and that’s why I was keen to support this project. The Golden Token is already delivering tangible results, and I am delighted to be partnering with the organisation in making our city safer.”
Dujana Nasir, the youth club’s founder and chief executive, said: “Our success is largely thanks to the Commissioner’s support, which has had a significant impact on our community. Not only has he helped reduce anti-social behaviour, but it’s also created a safe space for women facing domestic violence to seek help.
“Both GoldenToken and Rowlatts Hill are incredibly grateful for the Commissioner’s support in making this initiative possible.”
Up to 200 visits are made each month to the youth club and project leaders continue to identify and deliver opportunities to engage young people in the Rowlatts Hill area to divert them away from crime and ASB.
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Posted on Tuesday 18th March 2025