Positive Futures, based in North Liverpool, wants every young person to have fulfilling opportunities to thrive in life.
Positive Future’s youth work approach has four key pillars: Engagement, Education, Empowerment and Enterprise. It’s a holistic approach, based around the unique needs of every young person. Alongside offering an open access youth centre for all, they offer targeted support to young people, including supporting anxiety and mental health, supporting young people with some Special Educational Needs and neurodivergent young people. Positive Futures is based in a deprived part of Liverpool with high levels of poverty, and there’s increasing demand for their services and support.
A bright future
The youth centre was a dream that started on a shoestring nearly twenty years ago. Now it’s a thriving and vibrant hub, loved by young people, but their building is letting them down. The roof leaks, so the space is dotted with buckets that need constant emptying on rainy days. And it’s dark, and some of the smaller spaces are windowless and feel more like a bunker than a welcoming space. All that is about to change. A Youth Investment Fund grant of £1,081,873.00 will change their fortunes and create a state-of-the-art sustainable hub that will be there for generations of young people.
An inclusive approach
The vision for Positive Futures new home is innovative, fun, and offers something for everyone. The Youth Investment Fund grant will pay for a major renovation and development of a large and currently unused community space in North Liverpool.
Positive Futures have an inclusive approach to developing their plans. It is being created for young people, by young people. They have a Youth Advisory Group and young people’s ideas have been at the centre of the new plans. Young people have been invested in the design process, working with architects, and sharing their ideas and vision. But some of their ideas didn’t quite make the short list – so there’s no lash bar or hot tub but there are loads of exciting things to look forward to.
Something for everyone
It’s a zonal approach, offering something for everyone, whether you want excitement, or a calm place to chill and relax. The main entrance of the youth centre is called “Town” reimagining the experience of young people going “the city centre” on the weekend. Lots of bright light and elements that reflect town, like coffee bars, pods, and gaming zones. If you don’t like the bright lights, young people can hang out in the sensory room, and there’s also a special calm entrance to this zone, if you don’t like the glitz of the town life. Music rooms, art space, sports and virtual reality spaces are also on offer.
The comfort of Nan’s front room
There’s even a special place to represent the safety and comfort of spending time with grandparents – in a zone called “Nan’s front room”, complete with chintz furnishings, comfy sofas, biscuit tins, and quaint ornaments.
Football is an ever-present feature, being close to both premier league stadiums, so it’s fitting that the new site will have plenty of outdoor space dedicated to the beautiful game, and lots of other activities on offer too in the large sports hall, including basketball and tennis.
And every space at the new youth centre will have a flexible approach so spaces can be adapted for different uses. Flexibility also means that Positive Futures can maximise how the space is used. They are working with partners and a wide range of agencies, so they can rent out the space when young people aren’t there, increasing their income and sustainability.
Million-dollar lady
Young people’s excitement for their future is palpable, they can’t wait to explore their new state of the art youth centre. On a recent visit from one of the Youth Investment Fund team, one of the young people noticed the bag she was carrying and piped up “Are you the million-dollar lady, have you got the cash in that bag of yours?” We didn’t bring the cash that day, but their £1 million plus Youth Investment Fund grant will soon be creating positive futures for North Liverpool’s young people.
