Young people across Haringey will enjoy modern, high-tech facilities in a state of the art ‘Youth Zone’, after Haringey Council approved proposals for the centre to be built in the heart of Wood Green.
The £6.5million purpose-built Youth Zone, in partnership with young people’s charity OnSide, will offer daily affordable activities in sports, arts, music, employability and mentoring for young people aged eight to 19, or up to 25 for those with a disability.
Set to be built on an unused area within the grounds of Woodside High School, White Hart Lane, Haringey Youth Zone will provide over 20 different activities for more than 200 young people each evening, with a commitment to raising young people’s aspirations, enhancing prospects and improving health and wellbeing.
A new locally-led charity will be established to run the new Youth Zone, bringing on board a local team of youth and activity workers. £3m of the capital cost of creating the Youth Zone will be funded by the council, while a number of charitable funders committed to the future of Haringey and its young people will provide the remaining £3.5m.
The council will also contribute £250,000 per year towards running costs, with OnSide working to secure the first three years’ £950,000 annual revenue costs in full prior to opening through a combination of private sector support and charitable trusts and grants.
Plans for the Youth Zone were originally approved by Haringey’s Cabinet last year and Onside have worked closely with the council, community and schools to find the right site for the centre, which will operate in addition to the council-owned Bruce Grove Youth Centre.
Jamie Masraff, Project Director at OnSide Youth Zones said:
“Youth Zones are safe, inspiring and affordable places for young people to spend their leisure time and we are delighted that Haringey Council has partnered with us to bring one of our facilities to the area.
“We will be working closely with the local community to ensure that the Youth Zone will support all young people from across the borough, including harder-to-reach young people, particularly those from deprived backgrounds. We have every confidence that this offer for young people will provide a transformational experience, supporting and enhancing the current youth provision in the community.”
Haringey Council Leader, Cllr Claire Kober, said:
“This is a fantastic facility that will give young people from across Haringey the opportunity they deserve to access cutting-edge facilities that the council would simply be unable to provide without such an innovative partnership. I’m proud that we’ve been able to commit to making this investment in the borough’s young people in addition to funding we already provide for other youth services in the borough.”
Elma McElligott, Co-Headteacher of Woodside High School, said:
“Woodside High School is a firm supporter of the plans to develop a Youth Zone for Haringey, which will provide an incredible range of positive leisure-time activities for thousands of local young people who need access to a safe and inspiring environment outside of school hours. As well as benefiting the community, use of the Youth Zone’s facilities during the day time will help Woodside High School meet its priorities.”
Ashling Float, Volunteer Manager at local community organisation, Haringey Shed Company is excited to work in collaboration with the new OnSide Youth Zone to offer more opportunities to young people. She said:
“Here at Haringey Shed we work with a range of young people and families who all live locally, who flourish in engaging in our services and who want more. Despite our reach there are many families and young people who are not engaging in their community or in any extracurricular activities.
“We love the idea of more opportunities and safe places becoming available for the families and young people we work with, through a new Youth Zone. We look forward to continuing conversations and supporting exciting plans for Haringey’s young people.”
Launched in 2008 and based on a successful, tried and tested model, OnSide currently has a network of 10 Youth Zones in; Bolton, Manchester, Oldham, Blackburn, Wigan, Carlisle, Warrington, Wolverhampton, Wirral and Chorley. Three more Youth Zones in Barking and Dagenham, Barnet and Croydon are set open in 2019 and a number of other projects are at various stages of planning.
