About BHYC
The range of activities that we offer are determined by our community, through consultation and workshop events, and in consultation with our young people’s board and vary due to changes that are affecting our community. For example, since Covid-19, much of our emphasis has been on supporting the physical, emotional and mental well-being of our community, regardless of age or ethnicity, and is bringing our residents together with local decision-makers to highlight recent issues such as food and fuel poverty, digital exclusion and overcrowded housing.
Sports and Fitness
Our sports and fitness activities range from football, basketball [both our very popular with our young male and female population]; women-only swimming sessions [launching in 2025 – 2026]; and our ever popular gentle walkabout sessions for older people in our community, and young parents – these are designed to tackle physical inactivity, isolation and loneliness. We offer all our services on an open-access, free of charge basis and where funding permits, everyone that attends is provided with free food and refreshments. All our activities are provided in fully accessible safe, secure premises, within walking distance of the population that we serve.
Workshops and skills development
As our service users work with us and gain our trust, they frequently join us as volunteers, gaining confidence, increased self-esteem and new skills. As a result we have developed internship opportunities with other like-minded local voluntary, community and social enterprises [VCSEs] in Ashley Ward and Central Bristol. For young and older people seeking paid-for, employment opportunities, we offer CV writing skills, mock interviews, access to seeking out on-line opportunities through use of our IT equipment, support in preparing covering-letters and recognising all their achievements, no matter how big or small, and supporting them towards further education opportunities, and achieving accredited qualifications.
Community Events
We run these 3 to 4 times per year, and they cover themes that are decided by our community. For example, in 2024 – 2025, we ran community briefings, bringing together residents, workers, local businesses together with key local decision-makers, councillors, housing officials, the neighbourhood policing team and schools to discuss issues around homelessness and overcrowded housing; food and fuel poverty; young people at risk of gang affiliations, crime and anti-social behaviour and education, digital exclusion, and employment opportunities. These community consultations form part of our broader ever popular social community events programme, which includes our walkabouts, fun arts and crafts events, and our coffee mornings aimed at young parents and older members of our community.
Our Mission and Objects
The objects of the company are to carry on activities which benefit the community and in particular (without limitation) to provide benefit to both young people and older people from Black Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities in Bristol, by providing a wide range of activities promoting better health and well being, education and community cohesion.
Targeted Outreach Work with young people
“In the past four years we have developed an extensive Targeted Outreach Programme to young people from the ages of 11 – 25. This is different to our centre-based youth activities, because we send our team of outreach workers and volunteers into Central Bristol and Ashley Ward during the evenings to meet young people where they gather, and to offer a safe environment in which we can discuss their needs, problems and support them to developing solutions that can help to improve the quality of their lives. In addition to our regular evening/night time/weekend interventions, we also send our outreach teams into community events, such as the St Pauls Carnival, and during Ramadan when the Iftar meals are being served. Our targeted outreach has proved invaluable in helping us to engage with the broad diverse community and since the start we have welcomed several young people to our regular sports and skills based activities.
