Knights Youth Centre
learning from the success of a South London youth club who have run street, school and community based programmes for four generations of young people
category: ongoing project
‘The Knights’ was established in 1936, in a church hall behind Brixton Prison, by a group of locals disillusioned by an absence of meaningful activities for young men. This model of open youth work, created by the community for the community, was one of the first of its kind nationally. KYC has continued to deliver a service for young people aged 8-25 ever since, in their purpose-built centre on the edge of Lambeth’s huge Clapham Park Estate, along with street, school and community-based programmes nearby.
story
Serving a deprived and diverse population, for many KYC is home. With a philosophy that each young person should belong to and have a positive role within their community, they focus on welfare and providing positive experiences and opportunities that build self-confidence and self-esteem. This includes sports, table tennis, cooking, creative arts, residential trips, employment support, training and work experience, all with the aim that these young people will stay safe, make good decisions and be ready for adulthood and independence. “We endeavour to provide a whole community approach. This means listening and sharing with parents, carers, families, neighbours, shop owners and local services and faith groups”.
what is ft’work doing?
ft’work identified KYC as a very successful youth project that has grown out of its community and adapted in response to local need. It owns it building, on land leased from the Council and has the potential to use it more intensively both to provide a broader range of services and to create an income stream to help fund them. ftwork’s role has been to:
- help KYC to access funds
- support them in carrying out continuous evaluation so that they can measure their success and be a role model for community projects elsewhere
- and advise on the potential use of their building, either through remodelling, or with a new purpose-built centre
“KYC remains relevant today in a world dominated by social injustice, in particular to support children and young people who are often at the margins of neglect in today's inner city environment.”
— Martin Long, Trustee
collaborating
The resources of good local projects are often too stretched for them to grow or contemplate change. ft’work has introduced KYC to other organisations, for inspiration and potential collaboration, and encouraged them to use additional funding to canvas their users and the local community about the wider services they could offer.
campaigning
While knife crime and gang-related violence are at an all-time high, local authority Youth Services have been cut back to the bone. A coincidence? The need for community-led projects to provide positive alternatives for local kids is urgent. ft’work knows of several and our aim is to share the very best examples while exerting pressure for public funding. Are there good projects you can tell us about? , and as a model that other communities could follow.
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