In 2001 The Bridge Church set up Youth under Construction (YUC) as a new community group for young people from Kilwinning and the surrounding towns. Over the years YUC has consistently proven itself to be one of the most cutting edge youth outreach groups in Ayrshire.
To date well over 2000 teenagers have attended YUC events and activities. We give young people the chance to participate at workshops and tuition in music, dance, drama, video, media, photography – all of which we aim to keep free of charge to the young people. The workshops are run by expert tutors and highly skilled volunteers.
We also organise trips throughout the year to encourage teamwork and personal character development. We have taken groups to the theatre, the Scottish Parliament, recording studios as well as trying out rock climbing, snowboarding, kayaking and other outdoor sports. Volunteering is at the heart of what we do and we are thankful to have such a great team of enthusiastic volunteers. We encourage every young person attending the group to get involved in some way.
Safety is paramount and we have a child protection policy in place and all our YUC leaders, volunteer workers, helpers and minibus drivers are required to complete disclosure checks (and now the new PVG scheme record checks) through Disclosure Scotland. By providing a safe, healthy supervised meeting place for young people in the town centre of Kilwinning we offer a real alternative to “hanging around the streets” and therefore avoiding the problems associated with accidents, alcohol and drug use, vandalism, street crime and antisocial behaviour.
At YUC we aim to encourage young people to have the confidence to set and achieve goals, make responsible choices in life, maximise their potential and make the most of their own gifts, talents, abilities and opportunities. We believe that we are making a difference in North Ayrshire and that we are contributing to the Scottish Education aims of helping children become successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens. From April 2009 Youth Under Construction became part of the new registered Charity Bridge Church Community Action Project and in April 2016 the charity was renamed Youth Under Construction and became a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO).