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Hazel and Pete Kouzaris visit various Northamptonshire projects

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Joe Hallett

On Saturday 27th April, Hazel and Pete Kouzaris went to visit 4 projects currently running in Northamptonshire, organized by Jessica Pilkington from the Northamptonshire Community Foundation. They have provided us with a summary of their insightful day.

The Phoenix Youth Centre in Daventry provides a range of activities and workshops covering a range of issues that young people face including drink, drugs, budgeting, pregnancy, violence and bullying. Staff and some of the young people took the time to talk to us about what matters most to them, what their aspirations are and how they want the centre to continue offering support to their community.

Time 2 Talk is a drop in facility based at the Abbey Centre in Daventry. This provides young people with a safe environment in which to discuss personal issues. There is a counselling service available and access to outside professionals if needed.

The Green Acres Rural Enterprise Centre in Staverton offers informal educational opportunities for young vulnerable people and their families, to learn how to grow and produce their own food and to learn about other rural crafts. Secondary aged students are encouraged to learn work and business skills through commercial activities. Two of the students provided us with an excellent home cooked lunch and we were able to talk to them about their hopes for the future and about why our charity was set up in the first place.

Finally but by no means least we met with John Bowman who runs a hands-on creative music project for vulnerable young people. John talked to us about how music can change lives and played us three recorded, very moving songs that some young people had written together and then performed to an audience. This whole process offers children the chance to feel better about themselves, to express themselves and to explore their feelings.

Always A Chance would like to thank everyone for making us feel very welcome and for taking the time to meet with us. We look forward to seeing as many of you as we can in the future.

Hazel and Pete Kouzaris

It is wonderful to see how many caring people there are offering help in our local communities and our society. We look forward to being able to help these projects, and various others, with your continued generosity and support.

Always a Chance

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On 16 April 2011, James Cooper and James Kouzaris were tragically shot dead in Sarasota, Florida

In their short lives, both saw great value in the pursuit of new experiences such as travel and sport. They developed into wonderful, commendable young men with a zest for life and a love and respect for the world and humanity.

Always A Chance has been established in their memory to change the lives of young people at risk of being involved with violent crime. Through education and experiences we hope to encourage young people to make the right choices and turn their back on violence. In addition, we aim to support the families and victims of violent crime with assistance, advice and financial support.

We will work with existing organisations that share our aims with a view to establish our own initiatives as we move forward.

Thank you so much for your support.

We would like to thank everyone who has supported the boys' friends and families during this very difficult time. The donations and messages of love and condolence mean a great deal to us all.