New Youth Hub in Wood Green set to transform lives of young people

Young people from Haringey have spoken of their desire to see a brand, new youth hub help transform Wood Green after the inclusive and safe facility was officially opened today (Monday 1 August 2022).

Rising Green has been co-designed and co-produced by a group collectively known as the Wood Green Young Voices, who – through working in partnership with architects Freehaus, JA Projects and representatives from Haringey Council – have had a major say on many aspects of this project.

With their lived experiences of growing up in Wood Green, the Young Voices have influenced the colour palette, logo and name of the hub, as well as the building designs and the programme of activities and events that will be on offer there throughout this summer and beyond.

The youth hub is in the Noel Park ward, which is among the most deprived areas in the country* (*in the highest 10%).

Young people attending school, or living in, the Noel Park and Wood Green areas of Haringey are at risk of gang violence and knife crime and they – in turn – are determined to change any pre-conceived perceptions of them and their local area overall.

The opening of the Rising Green Youth Hub will hopefully go some way to changing that and give young people a new way of fulfilling their potential.

One of those Young Voices, Yasin, commented:

The name Rising Green is meant to represent us all growing up together and improving ourselves along the way. That’s evident in the logo, which is of a rising sun, and the colour scheme is vibrant and welcoming as well.

The youth hub provides very good opportunities for young people in Wood Green and the surrounding areas. 

I’ve lived here all my life and I haven’t seen anything like it. It will provide lots of young people with things to do in their spare time and hopefully it will affect the local area in a positive way.

Another young person involved in the co-design and co-production workshops, Jasmine, added:

I’ve loved being part of Wood Green Young Voices. It has provided me with so many amazing insights into people’s views on Wood Green as well as London as a whole, and the diversity of the group ensures that all views are represented.

The group has meant a lot to me and it was the highlight of my day on many occasions. It’s been amazing to see the youth hub grow from a mere concept into something really quite amazing and I will 10,000% be visiting :).

Cllr Peray Ahmet, Leader of Haringey Council, said:

I have made it one of my priorities to improve the service provision for children and young people in our borough. That is at the very heart of my administration.

The Rising Green Youth Hub is a key component of that approach and I’m sure it will have a transformative effect not only on the young lives of those who use the facility, but the local area as a whole.

It’s through community assets such as the Rising Green Youth Hub and the Bruce Grove Youth Space that we’re investing in our young people, helping them to get on in life and achieve their dreams.

Jonathan Hagos and Jayden Ali, Directors at Freehaus and JA Projects respectively, said in a joint statement:

London’s high streets and community institutions need to be safe and welcoming, representing their daily users. 

Young people often lack the agency to positively contribute to their built environments and so it has been an honour to work collaboratively alongside the Wood Green Young Voices to design a youth hub that reflects their diverse agendas and supports their ambitions.
 
The new youth hub, Rising Green, is guided by the need for a clever retrofit of an existing high street retail unit and a design that embraces circular economy principles. Together we've delivered a youth hub of the future, for the future; offering a dynamic and nurturing space for the young people of Haringey to inhabit and grow.

Aimed at young people between the ages of 11 and 19 (and up to 25 for those with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities/SEND), Rising Green will offer them a safe and inclusive space to relax and socialise, enjoy themselves in and learn.

Open between 2pm and 8pm on weekdays between now and Friday 26 August 2022 over the summer holidays, there’s a wide range of fun activities to take part in.

For further information, check out the Rising Green Youth Hub webpage.

For more details about what’s on during the school holidays at Bruce Grove Youth Space and the Rising Green Youth Hub, check out our summer flyer.