Wood Green youngsters ready to make a difference at Rising Green

Young people from Haringey got a glimpse of a brand, new youth hub they have helped to design and produce in Wood Green as they look to make a major difference for fellow youngsters in the area.

Aimed at young people between the ages of 11 and 19 and those up to 25 with Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND) in Haringey, the youth hub will be an inclusive and safe space where they can fulfil their talents and have a hub to thrive in.

A group collectively known as Wood Green Young Voices have played a pivotal part in this project, with their lived experiences of growing up in the N22 area being fed into the architectural design, brand, logo and name of the inclusive youth hub, as well as what its programme will offer them, their friends and peers.

Having invested their energy and time on its formulation over 12 months while working in partnership alongside architects Freehaus, JA Projects and representatives from the local authority too, members of Wood Green Young Voices were among the first to see the hub begin to take shape ahead of its official launch this summer.

Members of Wood Green Young Voices were joined by other secondary school pupils local to the Wood Green area during a behind-the-scenes tour this afternoon (Tuesday 15 March 2022), as well as Haringey Council’s Leader, Cllr Peray Ahmet and Cabinet Member for Early Years, Children and Families, Cllr Zena Brabazon.

Cllr Ahmet said: “Our provision for children and young people in the borough is a top priority for this administration and the Rising Green Youth Hub forms part of our strategic plan to enhance and improve this service offering to young people and young adults alike.

“It was lovely to meet the young people involved in this project today and hear from them about their hopes and aspirations for the youth hub, and how it may have a transformative effect on not only young lives here, but the local area too.

“That is a sentiment we share as well, and Cllr Brabazon and I are very much looking forward to the launch of the youth hub this summer and tracking its positive progress in the months and years to come thereafter.”

The Wood Green Young Voices and their lived experiences have influenced the colour combinations, building designs and working titles for the youth hub, with a selection of proposed names and logos then being put to a public vote.

The name ‘Rising Green’ was created and duly chosen by the public having been inspired by the idea of growing up and being raised in Wood Green – ‘Made in Wood Green.’

The Rising Green Youth Hub is set to be launched at the site of the former BrightHouse store at 2 Lymington Avenue (N22 6JG) by the middle of this year.