You Decide projects

Drug outreach workers

There are Drug Outreach Workers in Bethnal Green, Mile End, Weavers, Spitalfields Wapping, Shadwell, Limehouse and East India and surrounding areas.

In the first month of operation (July) the workers paid for the You Decide! programme made 96 contacts pursuing a number of different activities designed to support drug users in accessing the right treatment and support.

Early GCSE in mother tongue

This project gives children from the age of 11 the opportunity to learn languages such as: Bengali, Arabic Turkish, Chinese and Urdu and take their GCSE exam early.  

Already 250 children across the borough have signed up for these courses. On Sunday 6 September the classes will be launched at 11am at eight locations across the borough where the classes will take place.

The venues for the classes will be:

• Darul Hadis
• Whitechapel Idea Store
• Shadwell Centre
• Bow Idea Store
• Burdett Community Centre
• Chrisp Street Idea Store
• Island House

Extended learning programmes

This will provide out of school study support to cover a wide range of learning activities outside normal lesson time. Young people can participate in this voluntarily.

The venues for the classes will be at:

• Beatrice Tate
• Bethnal Green Technology College
• Bowden House
• Dockland Academy
• Harpley
• Ian Mikardo School
• Langdon Park Secondary School
• Morpeth secondary School
• Oaklands Secondary School
• Raines Foundation Secondary School
• Swanlea
• Sir John Cass Secondary School
• St Paul’s Way Secondary School
• Stepney Green Secondary School
• Tower Hamlets
• George Green’s Secondary School

Options to be confirmed include: Bishop Challoner Boys, Bishop Challoner Girls, Mulberry Secondary School, Cable Street Pupil Referral Unit.

All activities will be available to all students in their local area regardless of where they are taught.

Family learning

This free Family Learning course will be organised by the council’s life long learning team to provide parents, grandparents and carers with the skills they need to encourage their child to learn at home. These courses are set to begin in the third week of September.

Family Learning will be delivered in local schools across Tower Hamlets. The curriculum is currently being developed along with a plan to ensure that as many people as possible are aware of the courses.

The venues for the classes include:

• Lawdale
• St Elizabeth's
• Osmani
• Swanlea
• Hermitage
• Guardian Angels
• Cubitt Town Infant and Junior School

Police officer

Extra police officers have now been recruited and are working with the Safer Neighbourhood teams in Bow East and West, Millwall and Cubitt Town. In Bow the police officer has a specific focus on policing the Roman Road.

Women’s lifeguard project

Through this programme women will be encouraged to train as life guards; helping to increase access to swimming for women. This project is also likely to create jobs for women who complete the training. Recruitment for this project will begin in September

Introductory events and workshops for the Women Lifeguard project are currently taking place in Bethnal Green, Mile End and Globe Town, Weavers, Shadwell, St Katharine’s and Wapping, as well as Limehouse East India and Lansbury.