YWCA England & Wales

what we do

YWCA Truro

Cornwall is one of Britain's most popular holiday destinations but the loss of traditional industry in the county means it is now one of the poorest.

YWCA Truro is based in Cornwall’s county town but we also work at community centres, youth clubs and schools. This ‘outreach’ approach makes us extremely flexible; it means we meet some of the girls and young women who are the hardest to reach and who most need us.

The girls who come to our sessions may be isolated, unemployed, questioning their sexuality, or taking serious risks with their health or personal safety.

We offer:

• ‘Drop-in’ sessions where girls can talk about their problems one-to-one and in confidence with a project worker or a school health advisor.
• Courses specifically for young mums and pregnant teenagers. We teach parenting skills and offer support, information and the chance to get their work accredited.
• Group sessions, which can be arranged whenever they’re needed. Young women learn about healthy eating, diet and exercise, safe sex and sexual health, alcohol and drugs, and get support to stop smoking.
• Information about education, skills, training and jobs. Many girls find the transition between primary and secondary school, college, training or the outside world extremely difficult and without support they are at risk of dropping out.

We have fun and build confidence using a wide range of activities such as residential visits. We encourage young women to take part, speak up, make decisions, share their opinions and get involved.