The story so far: Bovey Tracey Youth Café

Bovey Tracey Youth Action (BTYA) was formally set up in 1999 and this year we are delighted to be celebrating our 10 year anniversary since opening our Café doors. It came into being because of a concern that there was no facility in Bovey Tracey available to young people, particularly those below pub-going age, where they could meet and spend time together. Although by most standards Bovey Tracey is not a deprived area it does suffer, as far as young people are concerned, from problems associated with rural isolation, certainly for those with no easy access to a car, (e.g. under 17s). Public transport is limited and expensive.

The Café caters for an age range of 11 – 18 years inclusive. Given 45 or so young people per year group for Bovey Tracey, this gives approximately 315 teenagers who might wish to use the café living in the Town. We maintain close links with a number of people and organisations in the area, including the Town Council, who are very supportive, the Police, Youth Offending Team, Devon Youth Service and many others.

The Café opened in March 2002 and has been very successful in attracting young people both regular and occasional attendees; for whom the Café has rapidly become an important part of their social landscape. On average up to 30 young people attend the Café each evening. We currently open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings for young people aged 11-19 years. The main activities revolve around pool, computer games, music, and other creative activities.

We have an outstanding team of dedicated staff of various ages, from diverse backgrounds and experience including some that have, or do work professionally with young people in a variety of settings. We offer various recreational and creative activities. We encourage young people to help out behind the counter with staff who can help them learn important life skills. Young people can also obtain food hygiene and first aid certificates and babysitting accreditation. We receive our funding from local businesses and grant applications and the Town Council.  We are continuously looking for other funding opportunities to continue our good work and have recently started to seek individual donors. We wish to thank those who have recently given for their generosity. We would particularly like to thank Ros Smalley for kindly agreeing to become our patron. If you would like any further information please contact the Youth Cafe on 01626 832361 or email admin@btyc.wanadoo.co.uk