Mission Statement

Carmarthen Youth Project aims to promote the best interests of young people (aged 11 – 25) from Carmarthen and the surrounding rural areas. This is achieved by providing a safe, educational, informative and stimulating leisure environment for young people to meet and interact. We assist young people to develop their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual capacities. We aim to empower young people to become mature and fully integrated members of society.

Mae Prosiect Ieuenctid Caerfyrddin yn bwriadu hybu buddion pennaf pobl ifanc (11 – 25 oed) o Gaerfyrddin a’r ardaloedd gwledig cyfagos. Cyflawnir hyn drwy ddarparu amgylchedd hamdden diogel, addysgol, addysgiadol ac ysgogol i bobl ifanc gwrdd a rhyngweithio. Rydym yn cynorthwyo pobl ifanc i ddatblygu eu galluoedd corfforol, meddyliol, emosiynol ac ysbrydol. Rydym yn bwriadu rhoi’r grym i bobl ifanc ddod yn aelodau aeddfed wedi’u hintegreiddio’n llawn yn y gymuned.

What’s in the name?

This Youth Project is named in commemoration of Councillor Dr. Margaret Evans, whose vision, enthusiasm and selfless efforts have inspired lasting projects benefiting the people of Carmarthen.

Enwir y Prosiect leuenctid hwn er cof am Gynhorwraig Dr. Margaret Evans. Fe wnaeth ei gweledigaeth, ei drwdfrydedd a’I hymdrechion anhunanol, ysbrydoli prosiectau parhaus sydd wedi bod o fudd I bobl Caerfyrddin.

A Teen Fairytale

The History of Dr. M’z

Once upon a time in 1994/5 there was nothing for young people to do in Carmarthen unless you wanted to act or sing, walk miles to the leisure centre or watch a film once a week! Many young people decided to drink alcohol, hang around on street corners and cause a bit of a nuisance!

The Youth Town Council wrote a letter to the Carmarthen Journal about this and started people talking about what the community could do for their young people (after all they were the future of Carmarthen).

A group of these people including a wonderful Town/County Councillor called Margaret, some parents, a vicar, the Society for Children and a number of young people got together to meet to develop ideas.

The result was that young people they spoke to wanted a place to go that was safe, warm, comfortable where theycould meet their friends, drink coffee, participate in activities and have a say in how it was run.

In 1997, that dream became real to over 100 people aged 11-25 in Carmarthen that year. They met, they drank coffee, they went ice skating, they took part in the Christmas Carnival, they got support from staff, they cooked a Christmas dinner, they volunteered, they raised money, they became better members of society and they had fun!

Since then Dr. M’z has been a place for over 1,000 young people to participate in new activities including coasteering, canoeing, abseiling, activity holidaying, costume making, website designing, street-hockey playing, paintballing, quadbiking, go-karting.

While doing all this they have learned to be better friends, better team players, more skilled in speaking and listening, becoming better members of the community, meeting people in high places (Rhodri Morgan included) and talking to them as equals, stopping their anti-social behaviour and helping others.

I have had the privilege to meet these young people as I was there in 1997 too and I have seen many of them grow into responsible and lovely adults who say “Hi” to me in the street and come back from time to time to see us all. Some went to the army, some became parents, some went to university and others got jobs. I hope that all of you who read this and who were a part of it are happy and enjoyed the Dr. M’z experience. I have.

Gayle Harris

   

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