Over the last year Transcendit have been working with Streetwise, a regional charity for young people aged 11-25. The Streetwise team offer a wide range of support services, and help thousands of children, teens and young adults each year.
Transcendit have been providing Streetwise with IT support, as well as introducing new and more efficient computer systems. Transcendit director Dave Scott says that the previous system was very disjointed, 'It wasn't working for them. They couldn't really work effectively.'
As well as creating a hybrid system which better suited the organisation, Transcendit also installed Office 365. Dave says, 'We got Streetwise a 'not-for-profit' license for Office 365, which was a fraction of the price of other licenses. As a result we were able to reduce their expenses.'
Transcendit are eager to highlight the charity for the excellent work they have been doing for young people in Newcastle.
Mandy, the CEO of Streetwise, says that the work the charity does is absolutely vital for young people in Newcastle, ‘If it wasn’t for projects like Streetwise, many would find themselves in real difficulty. We support young people overcoming huge difficulties resulting from assaults, family harm, depression, anxiety and bullying.’
‘The services we provide help prevent issues escalating, as well as helping support young people to get their lives back on track.’
As well as providing support from their office in Newcastle city centre, Streetwise also have a team of detached youth workers, named ‘JAM’ (Just Ask Me), who visit and support young people all around Newcastle.
Mandy says that, ‘The JAM team go out for four nights each week and work with people in their own communities; mostly on the streets, in bus stops, shops and parks. They build up trusting relationships with young people, and then engage them in discussions, activities and events that encourage them to play a part in their own communities.’
Despite the invaluable work Streetwise does, the charity is struggling to stay afloat. Mandy says that, ‘We have only secured half of our funding for the upcoming year so far, yet we support over 3,500 young people who are making 13,500 visits to Streetwise each year.'
'Our counselling service currently has 80 young people waiting, and our drop in sessions are extremely busy. Where will these young people go if we are not here to support them?’
Even though Streetwise has not yet reached its financial target, Mandy is determined to continue providing the young people of Newcastle with the services they need, ‘Our team are doing great work. We want to continue to develop services in our local communities and schools. Our plan is to stay in existence!’
If you’d like to support Streetwise, contact Mandy on 0191 230 5400 for more information. You can also donate to the charity using their Virgin Money Giving page.
