Youth Work

“My brother is in prison. I don’t want to be like him. Sometimes it’s hard when people have an opinion of you. I’d like to be someone my smaller brother looks up to. When someone was trying to get me to sell stuff, I spoke with Lizzie and it got sorted, she spoke with my school. I’m glad the youth club is there. “ – Andover young person

Manor Gardens has a long history of providing services for children and young people, including over 70 years of early years’ services. Our first youth project was set up in the 1980’s but in recent years, we did not have dedicated youth provision. This changed in 2022 with funding from Islington Council. A year later, the Violence Reduction Unit awarded us with further funding to enhance our youth provision, in recognition of the multiple complexities and vulnerabilities to violence and crime that our young people experience.

ReImagine, our youth project based on the Andover estate in Islington, offers a safe and accessible platform to young people aged 11 – 16 facing complex intersectional challenges. We empower young people through access to creative activities, training and education, access to recreational activities and provision of healthy meals. Our service is youth led and provides a platform for our young people to creatively express their lived experience and influence change within their community around societal issues that matter to them.

We now seek further funding to expand the age range of the young people we engage and enable a safe transition into adulthood.

For further information about our youth provision, contact Laura on laura@manorgardenscentre.org