Canal Boat Adventure Project: Nessie Club
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We aim to enable at risk or vulnerable young people to identify barriers to achievement and strategies to overcome them.
Who we are
170 young people
Where we're based
Runcorn, Cheshire
When we started
2001
How we started
In 2001, a newly merged comprehensive school temporarily became chaotic and dangerous; drugs, fights, truanting and arson prevailed within this environment and many young people were bored, angry and frustrated in this environment. Seven of them were invited to get involved in the long established Canal Boat Adventure Project – they decided to set up their own canal boat project for young people in this deprived area.
Our work
Young people develop and manage all aspects of the project. Their ideas are based on the needs of local young people or compensating for lack of opportunities or choice; workshops covering drug abuse, anger management and debt; visits to the House of Commons; outdoor activities; life skills programmes and more. Young people enjoy canal boat expeditions, European boat-based youth exchanges and volunteering opportunities and nine of them will achieve university by 2010.
Future plans
We intend to convert the project into a social enterprise, then extend it with young people as consultants. We will raise funds for a project manager. Two of our new university graduates are working with street children in Ghana, and five others are volunteering in Peru and South Africa.
Project website
http://www.canalboatadventureproject.co.uk
I did not go to school for two years and have been homeless twice this year. The project has helped me get sorted and I have just returned from Ghana and intend to become a youth worker.
Claire, age 18 yrs, Nessie Club
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