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Author Topic: Youth Rail Enthusiasts Association  (Read 12153 times)
grahame
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« on: May 07, 2016, 12:21:24 »

A group(ing) I had not come across ... https://www.yrea.org.uk

"Name that train" at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2dKxXqhTN4

Quote
A Brief History

The YREA first opened on May 2nd 2010 when a group of three friends, lead by Manager Chris Jeffery, decided to take a new approach to a rail enthusiast's community. They wanted to create a place where young people could meet each other and take part in their own events and competitions away from the older generation, as feedback from young people said they often didn't feel welcome. The community started with just a handful of members mainly based in the south of England. But with word of mouth and social media playing big parts in advertising the group, the number of new sign-ups gradually began to increase.

The discussion forums were launched a few months later to give YREA users a place to chat with each other. Members are now able to discuss all aspects of the railways and it also gave a great platform for planning trips to stations, which the YREA ran in it's early days. The YREA now boasts a community of more than 500 people from all parts of Great Britain.

The first major event which the YREA held in 2010 was Video Fest, which invited members to submit a video based around a title chosen by the YREA team for judging. The competition, which is now held annually, attracts support from train operating companies across Britain who kindly provide exciting, money-can't-buy prizes free of charge.

In August 2012, the YREA was kindly invited to visit steam locomotive 35028 Clan Line at Stewarts Lane Depot in London by the Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society. The MNLPS had seen the work the YREA does promoting Britain's railway heritage and was interested in offering a small group of members a tour of the depot and to visit the footplate of 35028. This was the YREA's first major outing, and sparked an interest to run many more in the future increasing the group's presence in the railway scene. We were kindly invited to visit Stewarts Lane again in November 2013.

Another major outing for the YREA came in May 2014 when the group was invited by First TransPennine Express for an afternoon in their class 185 simulator. A group of eight members learned how to drive the class 185 and had some fun throwing different scenarios at each other.

What Happens Next?

The Youth Rail Enthusiasts Association hopes to continue to expand its group of members so more youngsters can benefit from the events, competitions, chat and education that the organisation provides. Throughout 2015 the YREA plans to place a much bigger focus on advertising as the more people who get involved with the community, the more fun and useful it is for it's members. The YREA is spending lots of time planning more interesting outings and engaging competitions to interest both new and existing members.

If you work at a preserved railway, depot, signalbox, yard or station and you would like to find out how a visit from a group of young people can benefit you and the wider rail industry, please contact us for more information.

I would be very interested to know who owns / sponsors the group
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grahame
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« Reply #1 on: May 07, 2016, 12:27:38 »

Can't learn much about the group and objectives without signup, and signup requires agreement to terms and conditions:

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By registering for a YREA account you must be aged 25 years old or younger. Any member found to be older will have their account terminated immediately. There is no minimum age needed to sign up, but please ask your parents if you^re under 13. On your 26th birthday you will be downgraded to a retired member^s account - you will no longer be able to communicate with other members of our forums via this website, attend any events, or enter any competitions.

Any of our younger members able to tell me if it's a commercial operation, hobby, or sponsored by someone in the rail industry or government?   Is it run by the members, or by a group of 'adults' on behalf of the 'youth'?

« Last Edit: May 07, 2016, 12:32:47 by grahame » Logged

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Adelante_CCT
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« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2016, 13:03:31 »

Could you not pass for 25 Graham?  Grin
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Brucey
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« Reply #3 on: May 09, 2016, 20:35:54 »

It seems to have been started by Chris Jeffrey (see his LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/hstchris)

I cannot see any information (including in the forum) which suggests it is run as a commercial operation.  There is limited information available, however.
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #4 on: May 09, 2016, 20:37:48 »

Could you not pass for 25 Graham?  Grin

No, he couldn't.

Neither could I.

 Wink Cheesy Grin
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William Huskisson MP (Member of Parliament) was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830.  Many more have died in the same way since then.  Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
LiskeardRich
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« Reply #5 on: May 09, 2016, 21:29:42 »

Advertising and premium memberships it seems from navigating their website without a log in.

https://www.yrea.org.uk/index.php?/about/advertising/

https://www.yrea.org.uk/index.php?/store/category/2-first-class-memberships/&%2Fstore%2Fcategory%2F2-first-class-memberships%2F=
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bobm
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« Reply #6 on: May 09, 2016, 21:41:36 »

Could you not pass for 25 Graham?  Grin

No, he couldn't.

Neither could I.

 Wink Cheesy Grin

As I frequently say when asked at the Quick Check at Waitrose when asked "25?"  - I say "years or stone".

(I just feed CfN his lines - he'll be along to highlight my girth)
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LiskeardRich
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« Reply #7 on: May 09, 2016, 22:34:24 »

I may be able to pass in! I got asked for I.D recently in Asda Plymouth recently, Despite having not shaved since moving house in March, can't find the razor, refuse to buy more when I know I have a perfectly good one here. Assume Plymouth/Devon council were doing stings on underage alcohol sales. Haven't been asked for ID since I was 18! The joys of being a big lad!
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #8 on: May 09, 2016, 22:38:15 »

Despite having not shaved since moving house in March ... The joys of being a big lad!

You must look like Hagrid by now!  Shocked Roll Eyes Grin
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William Huskisson MP (Member of Parliament) was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830.  Many more have died in the same way since then.  Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.

"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner."  Discuss.
The Youth Rail Enthusiasts Association
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« Reply #9 on: May 10, 2016, 13:07:27 »

Good afternoon everyone.

Thank you to the Coffee Shop admin for approving my account almost instantly, you're very kind. I was shown this topic by a friend and I'd be delighted to answer any of your questions.

I can see that Grahame has already shared our history and what we do, so I won't go into that too much, but hopefully this post will answer some of your queries in this topic.

The YREA is not a commercial operation as such. We do accept donations (either directly or in the form of 'First Class Memberships' for extra Forum privileges), however these are only to help me to meet the costs of running the website. We also sell advertising, but mostly we give this away to businesses in return for prize donations for our competitions. We do not have any long-term sponsors or government support, however we do receive frequent donations in the form of prizes from many companies in the railway industry - including GWR (Great Western Railway), who have supported our film making competition Video Fest every November since we launched it in 2010.

The group is run by myself (I'm 23) and two other members who help out with event planning (Tom and George, who are both college age). I am currently undecided about what will happen when I myself reach 26!

If there's anything else you would like to know, I'd be more than happy to help Smiley
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Chris Jeffery
Manager - The Youth Rail Enthusiasts Association
grahame
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« Reply #10 on: May 10, 2016, 13:33:09 »

Welcome to the forum, Chris.   I confess I had taken a look at your linked in profile, done a little bit of arithmetic, and wondered what you were going to do in a couple of years  Grin.

I came across your association, with a restricted membership and where it wasn't clear (to me, anyway) what the commercial or organisational background was. So that lead me to start this thread - basically just to clarify which (thank you) you have done, and to understand.

I've often commented, seated in rail meetings, at the sea of bald and balding heads in front of me.  Although I now have my senior railcard, I still feel like the youngster in some of those meetings.  Yet it's so different when travelling by train; there's a high proportion of commuters who are somewhat younger (perhaps too busy early a living and raising family to get too involved) and a significant - and in our area growing - contingent who are eligible for a 16-25 railcard.  So it's good to see some focuses towards those elements - and it would be interesting to see focus towards an even-ing out on gender and ethnicity too.

I hope you'll stop around, Chris, and not be a "one post wonder".  and let your members know that you kick 'em out (or indeed before  that too) they're very welcome at the Coffee Shop.

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« Reply #11 on: May 11, 2016, 12:55:32 »

Thanks for your welcome Smiley

As I said, I am undecided what will happen to me when I turn 26 myself. Some people in the community suggest I retire from it, and others think it would be acceptable for the Manager of the group to be 'over-age'. I think I'll gauge the opinion of members on the matter nearer the time - the organisation is for them after all. And I suppose it also depends on what I'm doing outside of the YREA when that day comes. At the moment I work 33 hours a week at ASDA so running the YREA in my spare time isn't an issue, but that could've changed by then.

I'm still surprised that the group has lasted as long as it has. Whilst I do have high aspirations for it, I've never had much in the way of self-confidence and definitely didn't expect the organisation to still exist six years after I started it, but that's where we are today.

Gender is a big issue in the railway hobby I think - I am almost certain that you could count the female YREA members on one hand. I think Network Rail and other companies within the industry have started doing a good job at promoting female railway employees, and we'll be highlighting that as well when Rail Week starts later this year.

I'll definitely stay around - I'm at least a two post wonder now right? Tongue Whilst I won't be a regular contributor not living in the area that Coffee Shop represents, I'll definitely drop by when I plan to visit the area!
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grahame
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« Reply #12 on: December 28, 2017, 12:59:05 »

Sadly, this group has closed

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The Youth Rail Group has achieved a lot over the past seven and a half years. We've grown a membership of over 700 young people on our website, and a following of over 1,000 on Facebook. We've taken groups on exciting days out they'll always remember; to train simulators, railway depots, control centres, secret stations and more. Together we've raised money for charities including Macmillan and Comic Relief, helping to change people's lives. We've educated youngsters on railway safety, improving their photography skills, and respecting others in the community. And we've given away prizes in engaging competitions, teaching young people to work together and be creative.

To bring all of this together, we've worked with almost every train operator in Britain at one point or another. We've also partnered closely with Network Rail, TrainSplit.com, Dovetail Games, a number of book and film publishers, Winchester University, a handful of heritage railways and preservation groups, and many more. Without the hard work of everyone involved, the YRG could not have achieved anywhere near as much as it has. But we also couldn't exist without the tireless hard work of our volunteers, and of course we couldn't succeed without you. Thank you.

Despite all the things that The Youth Rail Group has achieved, things are currently quiet. There are no events planned, the Community Forums are relatively silent, and all three volunteers are moving on. Chris has taken on a retail management position, George a railway engineering apprenticeship, and Tom has recently completed his college studies. As a result, there simply isn't the time or money to give the YRG the boost it needs to get back on track.

Therefore, we regret to inform everyone that as of Thursday November 2nd 2017, exactly seven and a half years after it launched, The Youth Rail Group has closed. We would like to thank everyone who has joined us and supported us, and we hope to keep in touch with many of you. But for now its thank you, and goodbye.

Should any former members be "surfing" on the Coffee Shop, they are very welcome to join us ...
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Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
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