YMCA Mendip Routes Drop-in Centre at 1a Palmer Street is for young people in Frome who are aged 11-25 years.
It is an open-access centre, with no referral necessary, and offers information, advice and guidance on a wide range of issues affecting young people including housing and homelessness, benefits and debts; education, training and employment, health issues and more.
Routes is an informal and safe space, offering a friendly welcome in a youth café environment. The Improve with Food café runs on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays with good quality, freshly prepared and low cost meals, snacks and drinks, and a takeaway service for over 25s.
Routes currently opens from 10am to 5pm Monday to Friday, with the following services also available:
• A Job Club for 18-25 year olds on Monday and Thursday afternoons from 2.00-4.30pm for help with applying for universal credit and looking for work, CV-writing, job applications, looking for educational and training courses and volunteering opportunities
• A Drop-in for Young Parents (aged up to 23) and their children (up to 5 years old) on the first Wednesday of each month from 11am to 12.30pm – to meet with the young parents’ health visitor and talk over any concerns, have the child weighed and measured, and also to discuss and get help with any other issues from Routes advice workers
• On Thursday 15th February at 7pm Young Adult Carers aged 17-25 are invited to a meeting to discuss setting up a regular group
• On Thursday 22nd February at 6.00pm, young people aged 13+ who are LGBTQ+ are invited to a meeting to discuss setting up a regular group.
In due course, Routes hopes to offer a regular health drop-in looking at a range of health issues (physical, mental, sexual) and soon will be offering after-school space for 11-13 year olds, one afternoon per week. Routes would like to hear from young people about the kind of services, groups and activities they would like to see offered in the future; and would welcome visits from young people to come and share their ideas. They say, “Please also like and share our YMCA Mendip Facebook page, and covering Frome we have the YMCA East Mendip youth clubs, project team and Routes drop-in Centre Facebook page. Please also visit www. mendip ymca .org.uk.”
YMCA Mendip also runs the Frome Youth & Community Centre in Vallis Road and has open youth club nights for 11-19 year-olds during term time on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7.00-9.00pm – £1 entry fee and first session is free.
For more details on Routes ring 01749 679553 ext 5020 and for the youth club 01749 679553 ext 5050.
