About us

ASR (Actively Strengthening Resources) was first set up in 2007 by 3 individuals with the aim to develop young people through sporting activities.

The name of the first organisation that was established was called ASR FC. The project engages young people through football training sessions and a Sunday League Tournaments.

The project in essence was quite simple. To establish a Sunday league football team, consisting of young people from within the local community. Sport Relief, along with everyone else are attuned to the fact that sport is in fact an excellent way to engage young people, whilst providing enjoyment and exercise. The project hopes
to really bite into this ideology by bringing together young people from different faiths, backgrounds and races, and allow them to share a common interest.

Clearly conflict often presents as a result of differences between people. The project hopes to provide a common ground, and use this commonality as a basis from which we can encourage young people to engage in discussion about issues that affect them. Playing in a team itself provides invaluable learning experiences for young people. It promotes teamwork, and more importantly, what to do if team dynamics break down.

The project was initially funding by the management and £500 was injected each to buy equipment and kits. The Project was also sponsored by local business to help support the team.

This project is a Voluntary project run by dedicated volunteers. The Volunteers have also won awards such as Member of the year by the Luton Sport Network.

As ASR FC was growing, more and more young people wanted to get involved withthe sessions and develop as coaches and leaders for the project.

We then were approached by young females who requested that we develop a project that they can get involved in other than a sports based project that they did not have a interest in.

ASR Projects was born in 2008 now called ASR CommUnity. Within this organisation a variety of projects were delivered to engage young people and the community. The project promoted volunteering in the community and within this project we have 26 young Volunteers eager to take up projects that support young people.

ASR CommUnity delivered a Half Term Project which engaged over 100 Young people in one week, excluding the 26 volunteers. within this project a variety of educational workshops were delivered with fun activities. Bedfordshire Crimebeat along with Young Fundz funded and supported the project.

The volunteers from ASR CommUnity and ASR FC got together and delivered sports day to 540 young people in William Austin Junior School to promote community cohesion, Teamwork, Leadership and Communication skills.

This project was highly commended for Building Stronger Communities and members from this project won The Mayors Award, High Sherriff Award, Role Model Of the Year and Outstanding Service To Young People.

In 2009, we were then approached by young people with different needs, they wanted to get involved creatively. ASR Design was born to help meet the needs of different young people. We engaged young people by allowing them to help design the publicity materials for all of our projects.

ASR Design is Voluntary Organisation headed by committed volunteers. Occasionally we take on designing tasks given to us by other organisations to help young people engaged in this diversionary project.

In an AGM meeting in 2010, the 35 Volunteers that attended, decided that they wanted to get involved even more than they already have, but not just locally but supporting young people globally.

In 2010, UNITY – Uniting the Nation by Inspiring Today’s Youths was born to -

1. To Improve the quality of life for those groups of people that are in the
   greatest of need, or those people that are disadvantaged and vulnerable living
   within the local multicultural and the more diverse global communities.
2.  To enhance Community cohesion, promote social inclusion and support
   people in need.
3. To promote volunteering within the community by encouraging young people
   to become a part of the Organisation, support the objectives and fundraise for
   charity

When Disaster struck in the Horn of Africa and UNITY stepped up to support the cause. Through professional youth and community work we had been able to engage over 200 Volunteers from Luton, Bedford, Birmingham and Northampton.

UNITY had organised a range of campaigns that rolled out through these areas and engaged over thousands of young people. The ultimate aim was to get young people aware of charity work and help support causes without feeling any financial constraint.

UNITY then launched a recycle campaign, mainly aimed at young people. the campaign urged young people to give up their unwanted game that could pay for a cup of water in Africa. The campaign was a massive success which brought in over 1000 unwanted games and DVDs. these were then sold on to a game company who
brought it for money. From this campaign, a variety of campaigns were launched, such as Charity Dinners, Charity Car Wash, Bake Sales and Scarf Campaigns.

Within 30 days, UNITY had raised just over £4500 and the project touched base with over 1900 young people.

In January 2012, UNITY Teamed up with another Charity organisation based in London to raise money for charity. In this one day Charity Dinner we had raised just under £40,000 and had an attendance of over 350 people. UNITY is a Voluntary Charity Project where 100% of the money raised goes towards charity. It is now in the process of registering as a Charity Organisation.

As time went by, we all heard about the disastrous cuts in Youth Workers, the same youth workers that had the ability to step in as early intervention for young people that are at risk of offending or becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training)

As Youth Work was being cut and the rise in Youth unemployment was rising, it was time for ASR to step in again to combat this issue and become the intervention foryoung people at risk.

ASR Learning Centre is now the missing piece that completes the ASR Project!

It was the passion that lead us to take the leap, a new centre has been opened to support and develop young people through a professional system of Youth and Community Work. Not only will we be carrying out duties as Youth Workers, but we will now be delivering and teaching Youth Work as an accredited course to young people.

We as professional Youth Workers understand the importance of having a role model, youth worker and a mentor, so now we will be transferring the skills of Youth Work into young people, so now they will be able to intervene within their peers.

The progression does not end there, it continues as long as the Young person wants it to. After the course has been complete, this young person is then able to volunteer at the Learning Centre in the Drop in Sessions and if this young person has a specific interest, then they are able to volunteer at any one of our organisations to complete their voluntary work.

It does not end there! Should the Young Learner wish to continue, they will be able to attend the Level 2 Youth Work and then the Level 3 Certificate in Youth Work to become a professional youth worker and then ultimately have the potential of getting a job in the Youth Work Sector.

ASR firmly believe in Youth Work, how important it is to young people and how a Youth Worker can develop, intervene and support a young person. ASR guarantees that Youth Work will not fade in Luton as long as ASR is around.