About us

West Kent YMCA is a local Christian charity.
We work primarily with young men and women - of all faiths and none - many of whom are facing major issues in their life - such as homelessness, family breakdown, emotional and mental health difficulties, neglect, drug or alcohol abuse, school exclusion or who may be young parents, ex-offenders or victims of crime. It is our priviledge to support and empower them for part of their journey...
          We focus on:
                        Helping Young People Build Their Future
              We aim to:
                            Motivate, Engage, Equip and Empower young people in West Kent
                                       Offer skills for life, for work and for living
We are affiliated to SEN [South East Network of YMCAs], YMCA England, Y Care and the global YMCA movement, but we are managed by local trustees with signicant ideas and input from local young people themselves - so we can best respond to local need, continously evaluating and adapting our programmes and projects to make a lasting difference in the lives of young people and within our whole community.

The charity’s operations currently focus on these main areas:

Ryder House
- supported housing and inclusion programmes for young people who would otherwise be homeless.
- 37 flats for young men and women aged 16 to 26 [up to age 24 on arrival]

Furniture Warehouses
– recycling 300 tonnes [a year] of furniture & electrical items to provide supported employment, volunteering and training. More than just a charity shop - we probably reach more parts of our community than you could ever imagine... we even offer some items on our eBay 4 Charity shop..

      Horizon Project
– supported vocational skills training for young people who have been excluded or are at risk of exclusion.
- Life changing opportunity, training and support
     - skills for life, for work and for living

                                       OUTREACH

U TURN – outreach supported training and learning for people age 19+ in our community - delivered by many partner organisations - free training - at your pace, near your place. One element of this programme has been support to District Partnership Groups for people with learning disabilities such as TWDPG and SDPG.

Vehicle for Change V4C

           – outreach youth work from a van
           - to engage, equip and empower young people in West Kent

                                check out
                                    - the MAP for more info on our centres / projects
                                    - our VISION