How it Started -
Cirencester Cyber Cafe
Cirencester Cyber Café offers young
people after school a safe, fun, chill-out zone with fast internet
access, cool snacks and the latest games – X-box and beyond!
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Cirencester is a very pleasant Cotswold market town with a good level of employment, with fine primary schools, and acclaimed local comprehensive schools.
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Despite this, the Watermoor and Beeches areas are in the bottom 10% deprivation score for the whole of Gloucestershire.
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Like many towns, there are few facilities for young people. The cinema closed recently, but there are good sports facilities and both indoor and outdoor swimming pools. There is one council-run Youth Club (The Impact Centre) open 2 evenings a week, and several churches have one-evening-a-week Youth Clubs.
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Cirencester Cyber Cafe is a start-up organisation aimed at developing a drop-in, meeting point and discussion forum for the vulnerable young people of Cirencester and its surrounding rural areas. It will NOT be a youth club and will not have membership fees, but like any cafe, young people can come and go freely.
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We have obtained premises for Cirencester Cyber Cafe from the Council, close to the centre of the town.
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The aim is to be in a Christian environment – the paid and voluntary staff will be Christian – but there will be no overt evangelism. Opportunities will be there for the youth to discuss and explore their beliefs.
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At Cirencester Cyber Cafe, we will be working with youngsters (11-18 yrs) including some from two of the more deprived areas of the town, Watermoor and Beeches, drawing from the two comprehensive schools.
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As well as somewhere to meet friends, Cirencester Cyber Cafe aims to give young people the opportunities to develop their skills, interests and awareness of their community.
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We want the users to 'own' and be active in the day-to-day running of the Cirencester Cyber Cafe . We already have an active Youth committee who are both church members and involved in preparing and planning for the Cirencester Cyber Cafe, and will form a foundation group.
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Initially the Cirencester Cyber Cafe plans to open 3.30-5.30pm Monday to Friday, plus an evening session, probably Friday or Saturday. We aim to have 10-12 Christian volunteers, with at least two present at any time. Experience will guide us as to the optimum opening times.
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We intend the Youth Leader’s job to expand to become full-time in due course. We have gained many ideas from "The Door" project in Stroud, which has been running for 10 years, and now has five paid staff.
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Future developments of the Cirencester Cyber Cafe might include: working with the Youth Parliament, and on-line sessions with local councillors. Using mornings for having mother-and-toddler sessions with a crèche, while young mums improve their computer and internet skills. Creating courses for unemployed, or drop-out young people. Moving an existing on-line Advice for Teens, run by teens, to be based in the Cirencester Cyber Cafe.
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Supported by Cotswold Council for Voluntary Service – A Registered Charity
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Patron: The Lady Apsley
Director: Revd Robert Morris,
Chairman & Secretary: David Williams
Treasurer: Brian Duckett
David Williams, Cirencester Cyber Cafe