Wolverhampton Youth Zone leader says The Way forward is a good one for helping develop next generation

Paul Snape has seen a lot over his two years at The Way on School Street in Wolverhampton, having joined as interim chief executive in January 2024, then becoming the permanent chief executive in April of the same year.

The 42-year-old brought a wealth of experience in the charity sector to The Way when he joined, having served as chief executive for organisations like Leicester LGBT Centre, Pedestrian, and The Bridge (East Midlands). 

On the 10th anniversary since the centre first welcoming young people through it doors, Mr Snape said he felt the centre was in a really good place and explained the reasons why it was thriving.

He said: "I think on our 10th anniversary, we're in a really good position where the young people are thriving and that comes from a strong leadership group.

"We are delivering six days a week, 36 hours a week and we're providing a whole range of activities, interventions and opportunities for young people, all whilst providing those trusted adults through the youth workers.

"They play a huge role in developing those relationships with young people, as well as advice and guidance that they really need, and we're all about equipping them for later life, getting them off their screens and into activities.

"We have everything from art to music to employability stuff to a gym and sports, a climbing room, boxing gym, dance studio and everything on offer to appeal to every single young person."

Mr Snape said The Way worked because it provided that safe space that he said young people wanted to have, with trusted people and a safe environment as soon as they walked through the doors.

He said that while there had been challenges through Covid and the cost of living crisis, it had made the centre stronger and more necessary for young people and strengthened their own work for funding.

He said: "Covid was a challenge for everyone, but what that has done is strengthen our case for the youth zone as, during Covid, young people were on their screens and weren't getting that social interaction and education they should have had.

"We're now able to support young people with getting off their phones and while that time was a challenge, it's strengthened our case for funding.

"We are trying to diversify that funding base, with the local authority still providing us with funding, which is great, but doesn't cover anywhere near enough for what we need, so we have to raise £1.6 million a year through grants, corporate philanthropy and major donors."

Mr Snape also spoke about some of the statistics which showed the work of The Way, from more than 21,000 young people making more than 400,000 visits to the centre, coming from 410 different wards and 650 schools and said there were other statistics which really showed the impact of the centre.

He said: "In terms of the real impact, we've found that 72 per cent of young people have made new friends, 78 per cent feel proud of themselves, 82 per cent feel better prepared for the future, 83 per cent have had positive experiences with people from different backgrounds and 76 per cent of young people feel able to handle whatever comes their way.

"This really is about preparing young people for later in life and for employment and adulthood, so we're obviously battling with those screens to get them in and we can have that diversionary activity for them, but then we can do the real youth work which prepares them for later in life."

Mr Snape said there were so many success stories from The Way and spoke about some of the most memorable from his perspective.

He said: "There's a particular family and two brothers, William and Joseph, who came here when her mum found us through word of mouth.

"William was non-verbal when he started here and Joseph was a young carer for his brother, so William was obviously very nervous to start with, but started to build his relationships and is now speaking.

"Joseph is being a teenager and he comes and has his own friends, so that's one really key thing as their mum couldn't find a place where they were both happy and thriving, but they found The Way.

"Even their mum has found support as we have our family sessions and our SEND sessions and support that we can offer to the whole family, which makes all the difference.

"Another one is Kira, who has been here for 10 years and was extremely anxious to begin with, but agreed to participate in an arts award as she wanted to learn about different styles of art.

"She had the encouragement of our youth workers and we made her feel like there was no right or wrong idea in what she was doing as Kira has additional needs, but is now thriving.

"She's also up on stage singing and sang to about 400 people at our Christmas fair in December, so that's just two of our success stories and there are so many more we could talk about."

Looking ahead, Mr Snape said he wanted to see another decade of impact from the centre, from reaching more young people to provide opportunities and ensuring that employability was a big part of future plans.

He said: "We need to be developing the next generation of employees as there's going to be focus on construction and having trades.

"It's also about attracting young people and growing our offer as well, as if we can be open seven days a week, we absolutely will be and that's part of the current strategy, so it's all about doing more for more young people and ensuring they are ready for the future.

"Some of the young people we have will, in 10 years, be the new employees, so we're privileged to be able to work with them from the age of eight to our junior sessions."

For Paul Snape, The Way is a part of his life and something he said he was proud to lead and said centres like that offered opportunities to children from all backgrounds.

He said: "When I was at a youth centre, it was a back street shed with a pool table, so this is a phenomenal place in a city which, while there are some affluent areas, still has a few disadvantaged areas.

"Some young people wouldn't get the chance to go wall climbing, as that can cost up to £14, or go to the gym, as that could be £30 a month, so they get all of this for £5 a year and 50p a visit.

"It's about offering opportunities and making sure every young person has a level playing field, giving them access to the same things and then being able to understand what's in the future for them and what is available to them."