The Avenues Youth Project provides a safe and vibrant sanctuary in North Westminster for young people aged 8 to 18 to play, socialise, develop skills and mature into confident individuals with the support and encouragement of our expert youth workers. Our guiding values are to be inspiring, caring and joyful, and this ethos runs through every programme we deliver.
We open our doors after school, in the evenings and weekends, and throughout school holidays. All activities are free to access. Our purpose-built facility includes a sports hall (football, basketball, judo, multisport), music production studio and radio broadcasting suite, training kitchen, dance studio, classroom, art and design studio and cinema. The funding for our building and projects have been raised by our Trustees and staff from generous grants and philanthropic donations of all sizes.
We hold the London Youth Gold Quality Mark in recognition of our excellence. Our dedicated trained youth workers run workshops on healthy living, mental wellbeing, anger management and staying safe among other things. Working with industry professionals and experienced volunteers, we also deliver homework support, peer mentoring and employment pathway programmes for our older members. Watch a 60-second clip from a day in the life of The Avenues
here.
From their experiences of poverty, unemployment and local crime, many young people we work with start with significantly low ambition for life, low self-esteem and anxiety. Our project aims to improve these aspects of their lives.
Watch this powerful performance by an 18 year old member for a taste of how our work builds young people's self-esteem.
In an effort to promote healthy lifestyles and respond to childhood hunger, we now serve 15,000 free, healthy meals each year. The young people are taught about nutrition and involved in making food and learning cooking skills.
Whilst youth work can have a wide and lasting range of benefits to young people, we specifically aim to bring about the following changes in our 600+ members:
1. Improved social and emotional skills
2. Improved physical and mental wellbeing
3. Increased access to opportunity and learning skills
4. Positive relationships with others
5. Better ability to make positive lifestyle choices
6. Feeling safe and respected.
We rely on donations and fundraising, and within our overall programme we have a number of projects that require funding.
All donations are enormously appreciated. Please consider making yours a monthly donation to The Avenues - and help us keep young lives thriving.
Thank you,
The Avenues Team
