The Avenues Youth Project
Positive engagement and inspiration for west London teens
Since 1979 The Avenues Youth Project has provided a safe and stimulating space for young people in Queen’s Park, west London. On a Friday night, up to 58 young people aged 13 to 18 can join Freestyle Fridays, a sociable and fun open-access session under the guidance of trained youth workers. They get to spend time with their peers and enjoy talks, workshops and themed evenings, all designed to entertain and inspire.
Creating access to opportunities and investing in our communities is one of our key aims at Kusuma Trust. We first supported The Avenues Youth Project in 2020 and are pleased to award them a further £25,000 for Freestyle Fridays. The grant means that Freestyle Fridays can run for 48 weeks a year. All of the young people who attend will get a hot meal and any freestylers that need transport will be picked up and taken home by minibus.
- London’s Natural History Museum is the most visited natural history museum in Europe, the top science attraction in the UK and the fourth most visited museum or gallery in 2018/19.
- The Urban Nature Project will reach an additional 1.6million+ people through digital and national public programmes.
- The bronze Diplodocus carnegii replica will be 21.3m long, 4.25m high and approximately 2m wide, with 292 bones, 70+ tail vertebrae and nearly 60 finger and toe bones.
Support and activities for brighter futures
Friday activities include cooking sessions in The Avenues’ professional kitchens and a pop-up café. There’s also music production sessions in their recording studio; radio sessions in the broadcasting suite with industry professionals; football skills; fashion, product and graphic design in the art room; games and group discussions. The activities give young people an opportunity to try new things and develop their talents, as well as providing structure and purpose.
The Avenues’ team of trained youth workers are positive role models. They give guidance and support around confidence, employability, housing, safety fears, sexual health or difficult personal situations. The activities provided help to deepen the young people’s understanding of what their future might look like.
“Our Friday Seniors night gives so many of our members the chance to express themselves, feel safe and confident in their own space, have fun, try new things, and be their authentic selves. Knowing the reality on the streets outside the club, we feel we have no option but to keep doing what we do, giving our members, especially the older ones, options to make positive choices, providing diversion where possible from harmful influences, and helping them thrive.”
More Success Stories
Avenues Youth Project
Caxton Youth Organisation
