music

On Tuesday 16th February, Portsmouth's vinvolved team honoured the achievements of the many young volunteers from the city with an Awards Evening and fundraiser gig at the Wedgewood Rooms in Southsea.

107 people passed through the doors into the venue to browse exhibitions of the voluntary work done this year including case studies, newspaper articles, magazine appearances and volunteer profiles.

Certificates were handed out to those volunteers who have achieved a vfifty, vimpact or thank you award and we heard directly from a couple of very successful young volunteers about what they’ve been involved in.

The crowd massively enjoyed local ska band, The White Coats who performed for us for free and the cupcakes which went very quickly! A massive thank you to Simon Littler who also performed for us, well done!

There was a variety of people in attendance from the young volunteers themselves and their guests, colleagues and staff of organizations who enlist the help of volunteers and other guests from the media.

The provision of activities for young people living in inner city Southampton was the subject of an inter-agency response which Solent Youth Action contributed to.

A result was an inner-city summer fun project which took place during the school summer holidays.

This project proved to be an excellent opportunity for a group of volunteers to be involved in facilitating a variety of activities related to sport, dance, music & art.

The volunteers who took advantage of this opportunity were invited to the final day of the project which included a barbecue and a presentation where they were given their certificates by Southampton Football Club Players.

On Sunday 19th July, Portsmouth vinvolved team held the Big Lunch at Victoria Park. It was part of a national initiative from the Eden Project to get communities together to share friendship, music, food and fun!

The event was organized by the Portsmouth Youth Action Team plus dedicated others who volunteered specifically for the task. Some of these volunteers have now joined the Youth Action Team.

The team met once a week to put the Big Lunch together and catch up on each others progress. The young people decided what entertainment there should be, including which bands would play, plus also chose the food, decorations and directed marketing and advertisement.

The Isle Of Wight YAT team were also a great help supporting the Big Lunch and their efforts were much appreciated

The day itself was a huge success seeing approximately 400 people pass through from 12-6pm. Some people had received flyers through their doors or had seen them in shops. Some had heard the radio show on Express FM that the organizing committee appeared on to promote the event. Others were just passing through and stopped to watch the bands and relax on the picnic blankets and cushions provided, while some were lured in with the promise of a free bouncy castle for the children or the smell of the BBQ food!