Young people in Hackney are to benefit from a £5 million lottery cash boost to provide new facilities and support services.
The money will fund a new space where 11 to 19 year olds can practice sports, art, music and photography as well as access support on issues such as sexual health and education.
The project, which has been named ‘Youth Hubbz’, will be developed with input from the teenagers who will use the facilities.
Hackney is just one of the areas to benefit from the £37.4 m being awarded by the Big Lottery Fund to projects across London as part of myplace, a strategy funded by the Department of Children, Schools and Families.
The funding has received a warm welcome from local youth workers. Jennifer Davies, policy and development manager at The Rathbone Centre, an educational charity in Hackney Central said: “We’re delighted to see the need in Hackney has been recognised in the most recent round of myplace funding.
“We are always looking for new ways to engage the hardest to reach. We hope this programme of regeneration and new builds will attract many young people for the first time who wouldn’t normally access services”.
“Youth support services are especially important now as many young people at the jobcentre will be getting pushed to the back of the queue behind those who have recently been made redundant.
“The ‘good jobs’ will be given to the ‘skilled unemployed’ while first time entrants to the labour market, often young people with fewer skills, will miss out. Youth support centres with social enterprises, volunteering opportunities and work based learning programmes will help them to compete.
“Where local authority funding is concerned, there is simply not enough money to go round. More needs to be invested in youth support to ensure we look after the future of Hackney.”
Debbie Pippard, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for London, said: “The contribution made by young people ensures that these projects are developed by young people, for young people and will make a real and lasting difference, especially in these London boroughs, which include some of the most deprived areas in the country.”
Lool… It Was A Good Day Wasnt It… You Wernt In Any Of The Pictures… (Not Fair I Got Posted In The Paper Lool.
w00t. Hello from Sarah, Youth HUBBZ Chair. I'm not in the picture! Shame you guys! great day though.
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