Youth Program

QPCO believes that inspiring and supporting young people to become tomorrow’s leaders is central to our mission of capacity building. We work to support young people in some of the most deprived wards of Bedford to identify and address issues they care about and that affect their communities.
QPCO is currently running a social action project at Bedford Academy, funded by BBC Children in Need.

Aims of the Project

• Support young people to make changes in their area, school, or community.
• Help young people creatively explore and tackle issues such as cyberbullying, climate change, mental health, isolation, hunger, and more.

The young people explored various topics and decided they wanted to tackle loneliness. The group called themselves ‘BASTLIE’ (Bedford Academy Students Tackling Loneliness In Everyone). They have met with a range of professionals, both voluntary and statutory, to explain the work involved and what they could do to help. They hope to deliver activities in the Kingsbrook and Cauldwell area. They hope to present their projects to a range of professionals, organisations, and schools to recruit more young people to join their scheme. This programme also offers volunteering and leadership opportunities.

In July 2023, the core group of BASTLIE visited Southway Residential Home. They took part in Ingrid’s morning session, delivering activities with the residents. The group enjoyed dancing and singing along to old favourites, playing games of skittles, and using a parachute. It was a real eye-opener for the group and reinforced the importance of continuing with the project. The whole group also attended the Community Drop-In session organised by Terry Hayden, East-Bedford Social Prescriber. They brought board games, food, and their smiles to the event, and loved speaking with Phil from the Bedford Community Policing Team. They also had the opportunity to speak to other charities.

BASTLIE Award Ceremony

They held their award ceremony on Wednesday, 12th July 2023, at the Swan Hotel. A big thank you to the parents and guardians who were able to attend. It was a way of recognising the work of the young people for the past year. We were delighted to have Deputy Lieutenant Dr Elisabeth Slack Bedfordshire Lieutenancy with us!

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‘I Will’ Project 2021

In 2021, QPCO ran a social action youth project as we were emerging from the fourth Covid-19 lockdown. Mental health was the topic chosen by the young people involved in the project. They wanted to send a message to other young people about well-being during the pandemic and created a song called ‘Smile’ which was recorded by Luma Sounds.

Queen’s Park Young Ambassadors Programme creates a ‘Smile’ with new song