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Chairman of Youth In Action Dr June Crown, Frank Dobson MP, Mayor of Camden Dawn Somper and Andre Schott at Saturday’s celebrations, pictured with children from the scheme |
Ten years of Youth in Action
TEN years of Fitzrovia’s Youth In Action, a youth group credited with changing the scenery of The Warren play area from crime to community, was marked with a street party on Saturday.
Beneath the bunting, a platform was erected where local poet Rajib Manandhar, 18, – aka Nooispere – dancers Jam On Crew and musicians from Espiral De Fuego displayed their skills in front of a poster that read “Unity is Strength”.
Raffle winners were treated to more than £100 in vouchers from high street stores and haircuts from the local salon.
Tesco laid on a few hundred doughnuts and a cake measuring 30 by 18 inches, while Starbucks served up hundreds of cups of coffee. Local restaurants Agra, Anwars and Runu provided a selection of Indian food.
The grass-roots group, which begin distribution of a Parental Guide for Parents across Camden schools this week, was set-up by teenagers and young adults in 1997 in response to tensions between white and Asian youths around the five-a-side football pitch, situated just behind Tottenham Court Road.
When the idea of arranging a football league for The Warren and the surrounding estates was pitched, residents feared the worst, said director, Andre Schott: “People said it would get out of control. Fitzroy Square parents perceived anti-social behaviour,” he said.
“They saw hoodies on the doorsteps but now they have got to know the youths they don’t feel so threatened by them.
“So it’s more about the perception of crime than crime itself.”
One member, Mieta Durmishi, 13, of nearby Clipstone Street, who has been involved in many street-cleaning and planting projects said: “We are helping the community so it’s a better environment to be in. We can’t wait for the government to do something. We can do it ourselves.” |
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