Young people in Tower Hamlets to benefit from £488k investment in youth centres

Young person at a YTH youth centre
Young Tower Hamlets (YTH), the council’s youth service, has been awarded a £488k Youth Investment Fund (YIF) Refurbishment Grant to renovate youth centres across the borough.

The YIF Grant funding will used alongside YTH funding to refurbish four buildings (Kitcat Terrace, Urban Adventure Base, Limehouse Youth Centre and Wapping Youth Centre) to create modern, inclusive and safe spaces for young people. 

Young Tower Hamlets is one of 140 youth projects in England to benefit from a Youth Investment Fund grant, announced by the funder, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the charity Social Investment Business, who is delivering the grant programme in partnership with Key Fund, National Youth Agency and Resonance.

The Youth Investment Fund is part of the Government’s National Youth Guarantee to transform and level up opportunities for young people in England.

It aims to build, renovate, or extend youth services in the parts of the country where new spaces and new opportunities are most needed. 

The council has invested £13.7m investment to rebrand and expand its youth service, YTH, to provide a diverse programme of free opportunities and support for young people aged 11-19 (25 with SEND).

Lutfur Rahman, Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said:  

“Providing safe, accessible spaces for young people is a priority for the council.

“This funding will enable us to improve the standard of our youth centres, to provide excellent facilities where young people can thrive.”

Cllr Maium Talukdar, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Education, Youth and Lifelong Learning, said:

“This funding will ensure that young people in Tower Hamlets have access to spaces where they can build positive relationships with their peers and youth workers, helping them to fulfil their full potential.”

Posted on Monday 5th February 2024