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News
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Tom’s First Year as Charity Ambassador
It’s a year since Tom Holmes, popular 22-year-old Reading FC first team player, became Berkshire Youth’s Charity Ambassador.
12 May 2022
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New Tilehurst Art Club
We’re working with Tilehurst Parish Council to launch the new Tilehurst Art Club for local young people in school years 7 – 9.
9 May 2022
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Mental Health Award Winners!
We are thrilled to have been named ‘Youth Mental Health Champions of the Year 2022 – Berkshire’ by Global Health & Pharma.
5 May 2022
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Free Multi-Sport Sessions for Tilehurst Young People
We’re delighted to be working with Tilehurst Parish Council to offer FREE multi-sport sessions for local young people in school years 7 – 9.
4 May 2022
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Join Berkshire Youth’s DofE Group!
Berkshire Youth is an open DofE provider, offering access to DofE programmes.
28 April 2022
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Winnersh Youth Hub
Our mobile bus will be visiting locations across Winnersh over the coming weeks
28 April 2022
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Waterside Update
Waterside Centre continues to be a hive of activity!
28 April 2022
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Jasmine’s Fundraiser
We are so grateful to Jasmine Barrett and her friends who are fundraising for Berkshire Youth by taking on the Llaberis Path in Snowdonia next month.
28 April 2022
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Tilehurst Parish Council Update
We are delighted to announce that The Jubilee Annexe is now open!
28 April 2022
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Bracknell Youth Worker Vacancy
We’re looking for an amazing youth worker to join our team.
28 April 2022
Tom’s Take on Social Media
28 October 2021
It was #GetOnlineWeek, 18 to 24 October, focusing on getting online safely. We know that young people are online more than ever, and that it has huge benefits, but it also offers many challenges and it’s important to take steps to protect yourself online.
Sadly, we know that footballers have recently been on the receiving end of online abuse and trolling and that this subject is never far from the news headlines. We caught up with Tom Holmes, our Charity Ambassador and Reading FC defender, to find out his views on social media and how he protects himself online:
“Fortunately I have not experienced any online abuse, any that I’m aware of that is, as I’m not on Twitter which seems to be the main platform for it. Unfortunately in football, like in many other walks of life, players are subject to a lot of online abuse. I understand that football is entertainment at the end of the day and that it is a game of passionate opinions. A lot of the time though, especially over the last couple of seasons, social media especially Twitter has become quite toxic. Comments aren’t just comments, they have become personal attacks that, because made online, are permanent. This alone for me is enough to just avoid it all together. I’ve always seen Twitter from a young age as something extra and something that could only harm me and my game. I know that I know my game best and the only opinion that I should value and consider when looking at my game is my own. By not exposing myself to it I have found that it is something that I have not had to worry about too much. For anyone that has had bad experiences with it then coming off it is something that I would recommend as it is a simple fix that I have found to help.”
What would your advice be for anyone who experiences online abuse?
“For anyone that has experienced online abuse it is important to first block the account and then report it, but then secondly it is also equally important to talk about it however hurtful or embarrassing it may be. Let one of your family members, close friends or someone at Berkshire Youth know. By not talking about it and looking to stop it, it can be something that may happen again and again which is the last thing anyone would want to happen.”
Berkshire Youth are keen to support young people to stay safe online. We run a Be Internet Citizens course which explores media literacy, critical thinking and digital citizenship. If you experience any issues online, please find support by speaking to a trusted adult or contacting agencies such as NSPCC or CEOP for support.