Our Story
NAYC in a nutshell
We’ve been supporting young people since 1961 with over 200 affiliated youth groups and serving over 100,000 young people each year.
NAYC has pioneered opportunities for young people. We have organised expeditions allowing young people to travel and explore the world and developed activity centres across the UK. These centres have included Frontier Centre near Irthlingborough – now run by Rock UK; The Ranch Discovery Centre in North Wales – now run by CMC Adventure; and an Expedition Base on the Isle of Harris In the Outer Hebrides – now known as the Scaladale Centre and run in conjunction with the Lewis and Harris Youth Clubs Association. We have also helped to envision and develop the Discovery Centre in Uganda which is run by Adventure Projects Trust and YWAM.
Releasing potential
The motivation of our work springs from the personal faith of the staff; a love of God issued in a love for others. We aim to support young people by meeting their diverse needs in an inclusive, welcoming environment that is open to all. We believe God has placed unique potential in everyone, and we are committed to helping release it in all.
Who are We?
NAYC (Northamptonshire Association of Youth Clubs) & ACUK (Action Centres UK) is a diverse non-profit organisation and charity, here to help and educate young people, especially, but not exclusively, through their leisure-time activities to develop their physical, mental and spiritual capacities that they may grow to full maturity as individuals and as members of society.
Founded in Northampton, our work has expanded from it’s humble roots to support youth work across the UK. The NAYC youth development team, based in Northamptonshire, supports existing youth groups, helps to establish new ones and provides volunteer leadership training. We also have our 3 non-profit ACUK sites; King’s Park, Pioneer and Whitemoor Lakes:
King’s Park: This is made up of a conference centre and 2 sports centres. King’s Park Sports, located in Northampton, is a sports facility that includes tennis courts, badminton courts, climbing wall, trampolining, archery and more, serving young people, families and the local community, providing a space where young people can have fun, develop their skills and grow in confidence. On the same site stands King’s Park Conference Centre, developed to train youth leaders and provide residential conference facilities for organisations, churches and charities.
Pioneer Centre in Shropshire and Whitemoor Lakes in Staffordshire, provide residential outdoor activity facilities. The two centres were built to give youth organisations, special needs groups and schools a place to take their young people away on residential trips where they could escape their busy lives and build strong lasting friendships whilst experiencing the outdoors. These centres have a variety of activities available between them including climbing, abseiling, high ropes, zip wire, caving, sailing, kayaking and more!
ACUK supports the ongoing work of the charity.
What do we do?
Training Programme (Firm Foundations)
Our Founding Principles
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Fundraising
To depend, wherever possible, on direct giving rather than on money raising methods, for two reasons, (i) to set an example to the young people we seek to serve and lead, and (ii) to relieve our staff from time-consuming efforts, so that they can devote their time and energies to the real job in hand.
Provide Tools
Attitudes often alienate adults from the young and create a generation gap. We have tried to create, through service, centres, and staff, a welcoming bridge over this gap.
Not Limiting
We aim to serve young people and their needs rather than a plan a mission to win their allegiance. We serve, in Christ’s name, all kinds of young people and aim to not be restrictive or exclusive, by serving in a completely open and secular setting.
Personal Faith
There has always been a deep element of faith throughout the life of the Association. A faith in people and a faith in God. A faith to believe that if something is needed and it is right, provision will be made for that something.
Guidance
The Association has been blessed through the years with a Board that invested trust in the appointed full-time staff, who have filled a role of being supportive, encouraging, and constructive in their guidance. This has been one of the main strengths of the Association.
Trust the Team
The Association has endeavoured, over the years, to appoint men and women to its staff who are committed to the Christian way of life and who feel a sense of dedication to their job. It has been found that then they can be trusted to handle their role with ease, while receiving support and guidance from the Association.
Meeting Needs
The Association’s work has developed through an awareness of need and attempting to do something about meeting that need, often in cooperation with others.
Special to us
NAYC & DISCOVERY CENTRE UGANDA
This unique facility was born out of a vision of NAYC to develop a centre based on similar principles to their centre in the UK, but expressed in a way that is relevant to a third world situation. The centre overlooks Lake Victoria in very beautiful grounds extending to over 20 acres.
Interested? Find out more here.
