Hornsey Road Baths, Islington

Anyone involved with a myplace project will tell you that it is a long, daunting task with an innumerable amount of things to think about and organise. But for those projects that are successful in obtaining a myplace grant a light will begin to appear at the end of the tunnel and the business end of the project will all of a sudden be just around the corner.

And this is precisely the case for Islington's Hornsey Road Baths myplace development.

Situated in the Finsbury Park area of Islington, the £12.7m Government funded project has been given the green light and work will commence in April next year to be completed the following April.

With a myplace grant of over £3.5m awarded to the London Borough of Islington, who will deliver the project working in partnership with a number of organisations, the project will involve an extensive refurbishment and remodelling of the old gatehouse and laundry buildings at the Hornsey Road Baths. This will result in a state-of-the-art facility including performance space, media centre, dance studio and café.

Paula Belford, Islington Council's Exec Member for Children and Young People, was enthusiastic about what the project will offer young people. "It will transform the opportunities available to local young people to take part in high quality positive activities in a new world-class performing arts centre," she said. "It will also be a place where they can access a range of support services as well as targeted support for the most vulnerable." She continued: "It will benefit young people aged 13 to 19 and particularly those who have disabilities, special educational needs or who are at risk of anti-social behaviour, in area that is currently lacking in youth projects."

But what is it that enabled Islington to apply for a myplace grant and what does it mean for the young people in the area?

Islington is the eighth most deprived borough in the country, and the third most deprived in London. It has the highest proportion of children growing up in families on means tested benefits, with 40% experiencing the impact of, not only unemployment, but of poverty.An analysis of needs was carried out in the borough, which showed that the Hornsey area, comprising of the Tollington, Finsbury Park, and Hillside wards, revealed the greatest number of indicators of deprivation. Each of these wards has high numbers of 13-19 year-olds, with Tollington in particular having a large amount of teenage pregnancies.With such areas of deprivation it is important that children and young people are given the best possible services and opportunities to help them develop important life skills and drag themselves out of a spiral of decline that many others have found themselves in.

As a result of the needs assessment and stakeholder consultation, Islington was drawn up into six areas, in each of which the Council hope to develop an ‘Integrated Youth Hub'.The aim of these hubs is to intervene early in young people's development and provide them with all the services and support they need to help fulfil their life potential.The Islington myplace project will deliver the Integrated Youth Hub for the Hornsey area, and hopes to provide free and affordable activities for 13-19 year-olds, with information, advice, guidance and support for young people, and also with access to training and apprenticeships.

It is when these services are not made available that problems start to arise. Anyone who has been to such areas or even seen them on the TV will be aware of groups of youths hanging around, often coming across as intimidating and threatening, when in fact they simply don't have anything else to do.They can then become involved with knife and gun crime and get caught up with gangs. Admittedly, this does not happen to most but it's a risk that shouldn't have to be taken.You only have to turn on a TV to be bombarded with documentaries and news articles about how Britain is being invaded by knife and gun culture, but when someone speaks to the individuals involved they often say the same thing - "There's nothing else to do."

It seems that young people can't win. If they stay at home they are branded lazy. If they go out and hand around with their friends they are labelled yobs.And this is where the Hornsey Road Baths project will help. It will give those young people somewhere to go, something to do. It will harness their potential and hopefully give them the confidence and self-belief many of them lack.

Cllr Belford in particular highlighted myplace for its role in getting young people involved in all areas of the project's development.She said: "Islington's myplace project provides an exemplary model of how young people can be engaged in decision making. We have recruited 14 Young Advisors to represent the views of young people and lead consultation activities with young people, parents and communities. They are working closely with service providers, architects and the construction company to ensure that the needs of young people are right at the heart of the development."

The Young Advisors (pictured) play a crucial role in myplace projects. After all, who better knows what young people want and need than young people?

Olive Oli, a Young Advisor on the Islington project said: "It's important to have centre's like this because it's a place young people can come and socialise in a safe environment. The centre will help to develop young people's skills and confidence and it will be a place where they can get advice."

Similarly, Julian Peter, another Young Advisor added that it's vital that young people are involved in the development process of the project.

He said: "Being a young person we all know what young people might like. It's important young people are involved in developing the centre because it's a centre for young people by young people."

The Hornsey Road Baths project can serve as an example to all myplace projects, showing them that all the hard work is very much worth it. The young people of Islington have been crying out for something to call their own, and soon they will have it. Soon they will have somewhere to go, have people who can point them in the right direction, people who care about them.

With just 18 months until the centre is due to open, the myplace Support Team will keep you updated on the ins and out of the project, and are very much looking forward to being there for the opening.

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