A Youth Investment Fund grant of over £2.3 million will renovate and expand Plymouth City Council’s youth provision across three youth centres in key parts of the city, enabling more young people to learn, gain skills, enjoy incredible opportunities – vitally to have fun.
Frederick Street Centre, Stonehouse
Stonehouse is close to the city centre, so there’s a huge demand for youth services, drawing in young people from right across the city. Renovating and expanding the Stonehouse building means they can grow one on one youth justice and targeted support work with young people. It will create a dedicated resources for young people, including IT facilities, life skills, and fitness equipment along with a community café and a new education suite. One complete the centre will be able support another 175 young people a week.
The newly funded space it will support young people in crisis, offering a safe, warm and calm youth-focused space to help de-escalate crises. The project will have a special focus on supporting young people leaving care, offering holistic support, and helping them develop transitional skills and strategies, ready for when they care and make their way into independent living. The youth workers’ approach is all about giving young people a real sense of ownership, helping them to thrive and discover their passions.
Transforming Plymouth’s Youth & Community Centres
Efford and Honicknowle Youth and Community Centres, are both outdated and tired 1950s flat-roofed buildings, suffering from water ingress from the roof, and in need of major renovation. The in-door facilities need expanding and modernising, and both have cramped kitchen facilities. Now funding from the Youth Investment Fund, and other generous funding will enable a real transformation, offering Plymouth’s young people new opportunities in inspiring and colourful new spaces.
Efford Street Youth and Community Centre
Once building work is complete, the Efford Street Centre will be able to double the number of children and young people it supports. The new space will be a warm, safe, and vibrant place to connect and socialise with friends, and somewhere to build positive relationships with youth workers and other support networks.
It will give young people a place that they can identify with, and a space to have fun. The Youth Investment Fund grant will support a new Youth Play Zone, where young people can enjoy more sporting activities like football, basketball, and boxing, alongside a holistic programme of activities and support and enhance young people’s well-being.
Honicknowle Youth and Community Centre
The Honicknowle Centre will also benefit from a major renovation and a brand-new digital skills centre for young people. Right now, the space isn’t fit for purpose, with a tiny kitchen, too small to give young people training in cooking healthy meals. The building is tried, the ceiling tiles are coming down, it’s a grey and an uninspiring space and doesn’t have a youth feel.
With a Youth Investment Fund grant secured, the centre can be modernised and expanded. Soon young people will be able to enjoy a vibrant looking space with a welcoming outside façade and a new Graffiti wall, so they have space to express themselves. It also means that the centre will more than double the number of young people coming through its door.
When the Plymouth City Council youth team asked young people what they wanted, top of the list was a space to support their mental health, managing money and help with bullying and challenges at home. Youth suicide is high across Plymouth, so it’s vital that young people have a safe space where they can talk with a trusted adult and share what’s going on with them.
A new Digital Hub
The Youth Investment Fund grant will create a new digital engagement project aimed creating a fun, informal learning environment for young people. Along with enjoying gaming with friends, young people will benefit from training around online safety, as well as gaining digital skills to enhance their life and employment opportunities.
