TWO men from Worcester are travelling to Holland to talk about empowering young people.

Peppe Ienzi and Dean Spiers, who live and work at the YMCA in Henwick Road, St John’s, Worcester, will attend an international conference in Rotterdam.

The aim of Your World: Foyers in Europe is to discuss how a network of Foyers – the provision of affordable accommodation for struggling young adults – can help improve the perception and prospects of young people. Hundreds of people are expected to attend the two-day conference which starts today.

“I am excited to be going on this trip to Rotterdam because I’m looking forward to seeing how other Foyers work,” said Mr Ienzi, a college student.

“I’m keen to see and understand the differences in what international Foyers offer in comparison to our Foyer. I am also excited to meet other people from a different country and see if the reason they have Foyers is the same reason that we do.”

Mr Spiers, a key worker at Worcester YMCA, said: “As we are a fairly new Foyer, it will be good to have an insight into the good things others achieve, so we can use the valuable knowledge and practice to help our Foyer.”

The Foyer Federation supports young people at risk, including the homeless, as they work towards independant adulthood. The Foyers are integrated learning and accommodation centres for people aged 16 to 25.

There are more than 130 Foyers across Britain, including the one in Worcester and one in Spring Lane North, Malvern. Every year, about 10,000 young people use the Foyers to get back into education, start training and find employment.