15 Oct 2021
St Andrew's Club has been awarded the Gold Quality Mark from London Youth, its flagship Quality Assurance programme. The Gold Quality Mark is a badge of excellence for youth organisations that are committed to continuous improvement through the involvement of young people in their organisational development and is recognised by local authorities and funders.
The team, led by Youth Club Manager, Sarah Nicholls, worked hard to compile the required evidence, particularly difficult following the unpredictable second Covid-year when programmes and provision constantly flexed and changed to meet changing conditions, requirements and needs.
However, we are thrilled to have the hat-trick of the Gold award to add to our Silver and Bronze levels*, and will continue to maintain this top level in all aspects of our youth club provision. As one of only 14 organisations in London to have been awarded the Gold, we are as proud as can be.
Here are some of the feedback comments from London Youth:
"It was great for us to be able to see all the amazing work St Andrew's is involved in with young people in the community. As the oldest youth club in London it is amazing to see how well integrated you are in Westminster and adapted your offer and activities to these modern times. The involvement of young people from the ground up is so inspiring to see and such a great learning experience for them and your trustees.
I would like to shine some lights on some of your exemplary work such as the training you offer young people to prepare them to be an interviewer. It helps enhance their employability skills as they can see what interviewers are looking for and enhance the probability of them doing well when they are the interviewee. The comments from the young people themselves show that this is a worthwhile process and beneficial to all involved.
The way that you support young people to gain qualifications, not just in youth work but also Maths and English, is really fantastic and proves that youth clubs are more than just a place to go but a place where young people can improve themselves.
We can tell that all the young people feel extremely supported by all staff and volunteers at St Andrew's.
A final note is how extensive your strategy document is. It has lots of internal and external references which show how much research has been completed and how knowledgeable of the industry you are."
*We received the Bronze award in July 2016 which confirmed we had all the policies and procedures in place to ensure we operate legally and in a safe and secure environment. We received the Silver award in August 2018, which confirmed we demonstrated the opportunities we provide to young people, as well as the training and support we provide to staff and volunteers.
