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Islington Tribune - by ROISIN GADELRAB
Published: 12 October 2007

Success stories: from left, Jermaine Gray, Nashion Elliott, Luthan Oyejobi and Michael Burton with motorcycle maintenance

Shadow hangs over centre that’s ‘the one safe place’ for teenagers

‘Guarantee our income and help us keep young people off streets’ plea to Town Hall

A SUCCESSFUL youth centre is facing an uncertain future unless it is given cash guarantees, the Town Hall has been warned.
Labour councillor for Highbury West Theresa Debono’s comments follow her appeal to Islington Council last week to give a solid funding assurance to the youth centre at Elizabeth House, in Hurlock Street, Highbury.
Cllr Debono, who campaigned for £18,000 funding from Homes for Islington to set up the centre nearly two years ago, said: “We want some kind of regular income. They do that with other centres and I can’t see why they can’t do that with ours.
“We have a very uncertain future. We apply for specific grants. Sometimes we get them and then we look to where we can get the next one. You’re not really sure if the money will definitely come.”
Cllr Debono wants to apply for money to fund projects such as motorcycle maintenance and computer tuition for the young people aged 12 to 16 who attend the centre.
She said: “It takes a lot of time putting in applications and sometimes they come back and it’s negative. It’s upsetting for everyone, particularly the youths. We want the council to say they’ll give us a certain amount a year. We appreciate they can’t give us the lot but we can then apply for more elsewhere.”
She added: “I want them to make us feel safe, cocooned. If they could say they’ll pay for the youth workers then at least we’ll know the service can stay open.”
Centre director Wlad Duda said: “This is the one safe place where the youths can meet and take part in activities and make new friends. Some people need more attention so we offer them space, to keep them off the streets and give them the chance to do something positive.
“When you work with young people, they can’t wait. They want everything yesterday. If you have to wait six months for each funding application you risk losing them. We need sustainable funding so we don’t have to worry about next year.”
Councillor Ursula Woolley, Lib Dem executive member for children and young people, said: “The council is doing a lot of detached work in the area – putting qualified youth workers out in the streets working with young people. There’s a project like this in Quill Street.
“If they [youth centre organisers] are interested in applying for funding to do more work from Elizabeth House, they should let me know because I wasn’t aware of it.”

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