Project Mission
Hang10, started in 2011 with the aim of meeting young people in a non-invasive way and begin the crucial first steps of building strong and lasting relationships. We believe that this long-term view of building constructive, affirming relationships of trust will enable us to have to the greatest impact on the lives of the young people, families and the wider community that we meet through Hang10. We want to encourage every young person we meet to make positive decisions about education, future employment, relationships, their mental well-being and to help them see the value of their local community.
Delivery
Since 2011, Hang10 has grown from 3 sessions a week to now delivering 8 sessions a week. It is important to us as an organisation that every young person (and families) has an opportunity to access Hang10 and therefore all our sessions are free to attend.
Project Sessions
These sessions are split in the following way:-
Hang10 ‘Park It’ – provides 4 weekly sessions (2 hours each) across Ashford between 3.30-5.30pm Monday to Thursday for young people aged between 11-18 (although in reality we find that is more likely 5-18yr olds) of free sporting activities such as Football, Panna Sessions, Volleyball and Archery. These sessions form the core offering of Hang10 and provide us with a weekly touching point with the young people to help us build relationships and offer support.
Hang10 ‘Walk It’ – 3 sessions (2 hours each) of Detached Youth Work 3 evenings a week between 7.30pm – 10.30pm. This element aims to engage those young people that may not access a traditional youth setting/Hang10 ‘Park It’ and allows us to cover more ground. ‘Walk It’ is also responsive to Anti-Social Behaviour Hotspots and is used a soft approach to meet with and build relationships with the young people.
Hang10 ‘MultiSports’ – Uprisings newest stream of Hang10 launched in February 2024 that provides young people 5-18 year olds (21 with Special Educational needs) the opportunity to take part in sports that are more outside of the mainstream offering such as Dodgeball, Pickle Ball, and Bench Ball. This session is also geared towards young people with SEN providing them with a safe place to experience different sports. As part of this weekly session (Friday’s during Term Time 3.30-5pm), we also provide a free healthy meal for those that attend.
Whilst we offer these core sessions throughout the year we have also developed ‘Hang10 ‘Roadshows’ that are delivered through the school holidays. Whilst the format is in essence the same as Hang10 ‘Park It’ these sessions go all over Ashford providing positive diversionary activities for young people during school holidays when Anti-Social Behaviour can spike.
Alongside these streams of Hang10 we also offer Hang10 ‘Schools’. Launched in January 2024 Hang10 ‘Schools’ was developed to support young people of a primary age by raising aspirations, attainment and attendance in school through the power of sport. Each session looks to develop young people’s skills, improve confidence, self-esteem and mental well-being. The project was developed as young people that we had met on Hang10 ‘Park It’ were talking about us whilst at school and we were approached to develop a provision of Hang10 that would work in school.
Project Initiation:
Hang10 started in 2011, and for the past 10 years has been able to establish, develop and maintain strong and positive relationships with many young people in Ashford. It was the first method of youth work that we delivered as a charity, and to date still remains a core activity of our work within the community.
Not all young people within the area will be able to make sessions all the time, let alone even know about them. Hang10 allows us to meet this need head-on by letting us go out into areas of Ashford to meet young people where they are at.
Funding
Hang10 is currently funded through The National Lottery, Kent Community Foundation, Mrs Smith and Mount Trust, Ashford Community Safety Unit, The Laurence Plummer Foundation and Clarion Housing. We would like to express our thanks to these funders for believing in the project and giving us the opportunity to help our young people make positive steps to improving their futures.
Students & Parents Have Their Say
“I love Hang10 it gives me something to do after school and the team are really friendly and helpful”
“Hang10 has helped my confidence and helped me meet new people”
“Hang10 gives me something to look forward to each week”
“The team are great they helped me write a CV and gave me an opportunity to get some voluntary hours”
“As a parent it is wonderful to have something on my doorstep that is free and that my children love to attend. The staff are super friendly and are always willing to listen and give advice”
“Multisports is fab, my son has grown in confidence and he loves coming”
Recent Successes
“September 2023 – September 2024 we connected with over 1300 young people”
“Over 300 hours of voluntary work completed by young people on the project”
“Over 1000 hours of free sporting activities provided between September 2023 – September 2024”