St Ives-a new millennium - Flipbook - Page 67
St Ives-a new millennium
4/10/02
3:51 pm
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Chris Tompson, Community Education Manager
Photo: Stuart Littlewood/Pentax MX
Chris, a Yorkshireman born in Huddersfield, began
work as a soil surveyor helping the King of Saudi
Arabia to grow tomatoes.
He became absorbed in youth work first in Leeds
then with the Cambridgeshire Association of Youth
Clubs in Peterborough. In 1993 he ran the Howard
Mallett Centre in Cambridge and arrived at St Ivo
School as Community Education Manager in 1996.
The concept of community education is cradle-tograve learning through joint use of school facilities,
and a priority set by the County Council is working
with young people. To meet the challenge Chris
organises a breakfast reading scheme, an
Information Shop, the Freedom Club, the
Shoestring Theatre (for those with learning
disabilities), ‘detached’ youth work, the Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award scheme, New Start, babysitting
courses, and an after-school books and computer
project. The Information Shop provides a drop-in,
counselling, advice on careers, drugs and sexuality
and health projects. Chris’s department, which
includes Tricia Tacconi, Tracey Goodwin and Sue
Allen, also runs the Broadleas Centre where much
of the activity goes on and employs around 20
part-time youth workers locally.
Work with adults is in the form of daytime and
evening classes, which generate most of the
money to keep the rest of the service running. In
2000 over 1650 learners were taught by some
80 tutors.
Chris’s spare time is devoted to his muchcherished MGB. He is also a cinema buff.
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