Your support has enabled us to engage many hard to reach young people and move them towards independence, through the provision of vocational training in joinery and furniture restoration. Many people from the widest range of socially excluded backgrounds have attended the project, many of whom have shown remarkable progress during their time with us.

One such example is a young man who was referred to us through West Kent Youth Offending Team. He has a history of exclusion from school, and a criminal record relating to stolen goods and illegal substances. His attendance at the project since joining in September 2003 has been exemplary, and he has shown a real aptitude for joinery. His intention is to become a self-employed bespoke furniture maker and, in order to realise this ambition, he has been attending a Basic Skills tutorial in conjunction with his woodwork training. We are confident that he will pass his City & Guilds Basic Woodworking Skills qualification this summer, and plan to offer him a position on the project as a future "peer" trainer. West Kent Young Offending Team have reported that they are amazed at the progress this young man has made.

The success of the project is linked to the intensive programme of personal development that runs in conjunction with the skills and business training. Our support worker has been instrumental in challenging entrenched behaviour; supporting not only the young people, but also their parents or guardians in their dealings with referring agencies and various authorities. Many young people have changed dramatically since participating in the project and attendance is excellent. The project has a high profile within the local judicial system, and the positive effect it can have on young people is well documented. In two recent cases it was decided not to award a custodial sentence to a young person, as it was felt that attendance at the Horizon Project was likely to have a far more successful impact on their future behaviour than imprisonment.

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Horizon Project Examples

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