The Enfield Island Youth and Community Trust (EIYCT) has recently seen their youth centre undergo some extensive redevelopment work to further improve the services available to young people. And on the 15th May we got together to hold an official launch ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new centre. Steve Chalke, MBE and founder of Oasis Trust, performed the official opening, and a plaque is now up in the centre so that we can remember this special day. The evening saw young people mingling with trustees, funding organisations and community groups. We are very grateful to the RSA trust who provided the funding for the redevelopment work and launch evening.
We were also privileged to have Geoff Russell-Jones, from the Jack Petchey foundation at the event. The JPF provide some funding to EIYCT, and as part of this provide youth achievement awards to young people who have made a special contribution to the centre. The young people were each given £200 each to spend on the centre, and choose between them to buy a PlayStation 2, new TV and some sofas for the centre. These young people were given their awards at the event, and a medallion for them to keep.
Group Photo celebrating the reopening of the Enfield Island Village Youth Centre” width=”840″ height=”562″ /> This photo from the day shows (from left to right) youth worker Kat Simmonds, local councillor Ruth Hones, EIYCT trustee Sue Gattrell, Geoff Russell-Jones, Steve Chalke, Gary Walker, youth worker Cecil Gordon with young people from the centre.
Shaun Howlett, 19, said, “This place would be nothing without the youth workers. I never used to like it but now it has a pool table, table tennis and flat screen television. It’s a good place.”
The centre is very popular amongst the young people in Enfield Lock: – and whilst attendance was very high a lack of facilitates restricted the work that could be done. A well designed mezzanine floor installation has not only increased capacity, but also extends the options available to young people using the centre, and many exciting projects are planned as a result of this work.