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Nadia Leach-Talsi, Holly Robinson-Gore, Eusebio Mai, Nicola Roberts, and Louise Twyman, all 17, are seeking an explanation for the council’s decision to close the Samuel Lithgow Youth Centre |
Youths plan boycott over early closure of their club
Staff moved to new locations six months before refurbishment
REGULARS at the Samuel Lithgow youth centre in Euston are planning a boycott following the news that five of their youth workers are being moved elsewhere by the end of the month.
The Lithgow, in Stanhope Street, is due to be closed in October for a massive refurbishment project. But young people who go to the centre say their favourite members of staff are being asked to leave months before they have to.
Nicole Roberts, 17, has been attending the youth club all her life. She said the decision to move the five members of staff before the centre closed was a desperate blow to the morale of young people in the area and that she and her friends would boycott youth services until managers explained their decision.
She said: “There are five youth workers who have been here for many years and we know them all very well. We go to them when we have problems and have a great relationship with them. What is the point of moving them now when there are still six months to go?
“We have not had the chance to throw a party in thanks for all their hard work. They have been told they cannot talk about it but we know they do not want to leave us.”
Holly Robinson-Gore, who regularly attends one of three youth nights a week at the centre, added: “We are taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh awards and the staff have helped us. They have taken us on residential trips and it won’t be the same if they leave. It takes time to build a relationship with the staff.”
Young people at the centre have applied to various youth charities for grants to fund trips, which the five, unnamed youth workers have helped on. They include outings to the London Eye and planned visits to the Imax Cinema and a theatre trip to see the Blue Man Group.
Nadia Leach-Talsi, 17, said: “When the youth club goes we will be hanging out on street corners.
“The council are saying they are trying to keep us off streets but this is what will happen.”
A council spokesman said: “Current youth workers at the centre will move to other services in the borough and will still be employed by the council, so their jobs will be safe. The centre will provide the same service for the young people on the same three nights a week, but will be responsible for employing new staff.
“We appreciate that young people may wish to see staff with whom they are familiar. We are working with the centre to make sure the handover is gradual, sensitively managed and explained properly to the young people, so that they can continue to enjoy their activities.”
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