After a late surge of sunshine it seems that the Summer is now well and truly behind us and we are all starting to think about the onset of Winter.  We know that families in our community will already be planning for a tough few months ahead with increased financial pressures, colder homes and less opportunities to get out and connect with other residents.  Therefore, we’ve been planning how we can offer support at the Youth Zone to keep young people safe and warm with plenty of opportunities to continue to have fun!

Firstly, we are really pleased to be able to share that for the second year in a row from 1st October 2023 through to 31st March 2024 any young people visiting the Youth Zone will be entitled to a free meal.  Last year our amazing catering team served an amazing 9969 free hot meals for young people during the Winter months and we are expecting to serve even more this year.  We hope that this offer will ensure that as many young people as possible will have access to a hot and nutritious meal throughout the Winter months.

We will continue to have our amazing Youth Workers available to support young people with challenges that they are dealing with throughout the Winter period.  Our team of dedicated staff and volunteers have a whole array of knowledge to support young people and we have a number of mental health first aiders amongst the team as well for those young people who need some additional support. 

Finally, our Youth Zone gives young people a few hours to simply enjoy being young, having fun and making friends.  We will continue to offer over 20 activities every single session in a warm and safe environment that is dedicated to young people.  Whether it’s sport, music, art, cooking or just playing a game of pool the Youth Zone provides a whole variety of activities for everyone.

For more information about how young people can become a member of the Youth Zone and access everything that is on offer over the Winter period please visit https://www.futureyouthzone.org/

Thanks to Barking and Dagenham Post for providing some space for me to champion young people and share my views and thoughts on the youth sector. If you’re interested in our work please feel free to get in touch via enquiries@futureyouthzone.org