Moray Social Enterprise Network

  Supporting Social Enterprises in Moray

Elgin Youth Development Group

A cutting edge youth project for young people aged 11-18, which comprises the Elgin Youth Cafe, our highly popular dance group, the All Stars, and our community-based initiative, Delta Force. 

Contact: Caroline Saunders

Address: Elgin Youth Cafe, Francis Place, Elgin, IV30 1LQ

Phone number: 01343 548300

Fax number: 01343 549361

E-mail address: office@elginyouthcafe.org

Web address: www.elginyouthcafe.org

The Elgin Youth Development Group was created in 1998 with the vision of providing a safe haven and personal development opportunities for young people from all social, economic and ethnic backgrounds in the local area. Our vision is to positively influence young people to become valued and active members of their community.

In 2001, after two years of planning and fundraising, the Elgin Youth Cafe was opened, offering a safe place for young people to meet and socialise, away from the pressures of alcohol, drugs, gambling and crime.  The Cafe is open 3 nights a week and on Saturdays for young people aged 11-18, and offers a huge range of activities and facilities incuding pool, table tennis, Wii, arts & crafts, internet access and Sky TV.

As well as the Youth Cafe, EYDG also runs a very popular dance group, The All Stars, and coordinates a community-based project called Delta Force. This project aims to bridge the gap between young and old, by carrying out local projects including graffiti removal and gardening for the elderly.

Over the last seven years, EYDG has gone from strength to strength, permanently changing many young lives for the better and providing support for hundreds of others. It is run by a management group, the Divas ‘n Heroes, consisting of young people from the local area, and is supported by a dedicated pool of twenty adult volunteers. Our board of Directors oversees the strategic side and direction of the Group. 

Products or services we sell

We hire out the Cafe during the day to groups or individuals to raise funds to enable us to keep the Cafe open for young people.  We have a bright, spacious meeting space that is split into 3 different areas.  Our largest space is an open area, allowing a presentation space for approx 30 people seated in a theatre layout with a 40 inch screen TV.  We also have a ‘snug’ area with 4 sofas and a TV, and a working area with tables and chairs for 20 people.  We have a kitchen on site, and home-made catering is available, ranging from tea, coffee and scones, to lunches.  We also have a projector and screen, flip charts, DVD & video facilities, pool tables and a computer suite.  We currently hire out the Cafe for a wide range of uses, including full-day seminars, confidence to cook courses, first aid courses, and crèches.  All our proceeds are put back into the Cafe to allow us to open in the evenings to provide a safe space and activities for young people.

We usually hire out the cafe for sole use, and charges are £10 per hour, with a small charge for catering and the use of our equipment.

Help wanted

We rely on adult volunteers to enable us to open the Cafe in the evenings for young people; we need 5 adults in the Cafe to open. We currently have a committed pool of around 15 regular volunteers, to whom we are extremely grateful. We desperately need more volunteers, who would like to put something back into the local area, and who are able to give just a few hours of their time each week, fortnight or month. We provide training, development and social activities for our volunteers.