Young people build a legacy for YMCA St Helens

Young people at YMCA St Helens have a brand-new youth hub, funded by the Youth Investment Fund. The grant of over £1.4million enabled the YMCA St Helens to modernise, extend, and transform its previously underinvested space into a new vibrant youth hub.

The new building is an accessible and sustainable youth space that young people have shaped. It’s a safe, modern, open and welcoming space that young people can enjoy. The building offers two main zones. Downstairs is a space to ‘Get Active’ while upstairs is a ‘Get Creative’ space, plus a new Youth Café.

A new film, created by Heyday UK, shows YMCA St Helen’s transformation and the huge difference it’s making to young people’s lives. The building’s design is based on young people’s ideas and how they want to use the space. Young people love the new chill out spaces, sensory room, bouldering wall, dance studio and creative activities on offer.

In the film you’ll hear young people talking about the impact of the space on their mental health, wellbeing and confidence.

“When I came here, I was in a really bad mental health state, but I have started making friends and then started getting help, the help that I needed.”

“This place is nice, safe, relaxing, peaceful and helpful.”

“It’s helped me with my mental health quite a lot. I’d describe it as a place to relax, unload and unwind.”

You’ll also meet Emily, who is now a Volunteer for YMCA St Helens.

Emily says:

“Before I came here, I wasn’t very confident. It’s given me a place where I can talk to people who I wouldn’t talk to on a daily basis, but I can get a connection with.”

In the film you will meet Matt Moreton, Director of Development for YMCA St Helens. Matt shares the journey of creating the new youth hub. Matt says that the space hadn’t had any investment since the 1970s and that it wasn’t used well as it didn’t look very nice. The ambition was to create a hub that was welcoming to young people of all backgrounds, and that was focused on what they wanted.

Matt reflects on the Youth Investment Fund process, saying it was unique and how they valued the YIF team’s support in applying for the fund, and the support they got in managing the project well: “We had a lot of support, which was really appreciated.”

Summing up all that has been achieved, Matt adds:

“It’s something that St Helens had been crying out for, for many, many, many years. And we’re really proud of the fact that the young people who helped design it, and the young people who helped us get this far, have really built a legacy for St Helens for years to come.”