Malaika Youth Project’s key partner is Youth for Hackney, a respected voice in youth-enabling. Youth for Hackney sponsors a variety programs serving boys and girls aged from about 5 to 25. Some of their many creative and successful programs include:
Breaking Barriers
This free annual event organised by Youth for Hackney is attended by over 100 ethnically, religiously, and socially-diverse children from age 5 to 16 who get together for an exhilarating day of soccer, music and prizes for everyone, with special prizes for best sportsman and fair play. Such joyful interaction with peers from different backgrounds is highly destructive to prejudice and stereotyping, while enhancing self-confidence and comradeship.
Girls Get Involved
Encouraging girls to be involved in sports is especially important as family and societal factors may be discouraging. Yet, according to the Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, female athletes ‘do better academically and have lower school dropout rates than their nonathletic counterparts.’ The Council reports many developmental benefits for girls, including increased self-esteem and self-confidence, healthier body image, and noteworthy experiences of competence and success.
A well-attended project of customising clothes was implemented to attract teen-age girls to Youth for Hackney programmes. This project occupied the girls’ spare time productively and interestingly, and helped to acknowledge and foster confidence in personal identity, separating them from the need to follow the herd. The class began to create original ideas and to help each other accomplish them. The project has been so well-received that other centres have expressed interest in hosting such a project themselves.
Aim High
The Aim High Basketball Project combines a basketball programme with other learning. Young people attend a 30-minute workshop on a variety of topics such as drug awareness and personal development before taking part in basketball sessions.
Read more about Youth for Hackney’s successes with the Aim High basketball team on Help Yourselves
2012 Olympic Team
Youth for Hackney has made presentations to the Hackney Team-2012 Olympic Team for future partnership initiatives. Youth for Hackney aims to play a crucial role by encouraging more young people to participate in various Olympic sports across the borough through their physical sports participation programme.
Training Combines Sports with Education
One of Youth for Hackney’s core training programs is structured into three levels, combining sports and learning. Over 300 participants attend a short workshop on such subjects as community safety and personal development, before classes that begin with rhythmic exercises in movement and posture for each of the three levels.
At Level One, young people learn basic basketball/football skills and develop a strong foundation in the movements and rhythms common to those games. Advancement is based on mastery of certain skills, rather than age. When ready, the pupil progresses to Level Two, to acquire more sophisticated skills, and then proceeds to Level Three to learn complex movements and abilities. Participants receive a certificate of achievement.
If you would like to enquire about or volunteer for any of Youth for Hackney’s programmes, please contact us or you may reach them directly on 020 8533 7572. Their website is http://youthforhackney.org.
Community Cooperation
There are many groups in Hackney working in cooperation to make the future brighter for students and youth in need. The following sample is necessarily incomplete. There are more links on the Connections page. You, or someone you know, may wish to volunteer in order to use your spare time to make a difference in your world.
Hackney Schools Mentoring Programme
Established in 1996 by the East London Business Alliance and Hackney Learning Partnerships, the Hackney Schools' Mentoring Programme (HSMP) is the largest Mentoring Scheme operating in the Borough of Hackney. Each year approximately 500 students are matched to 300 mentors in both 1:1 and group relationships.
The individual attention shown to students by their mentors confirms that their ideas are important and helps them to identify the skills and abilities that can lead to success later in life. Find out how you can help
Hackney Voluntary Action
HVA is a registered charity that exists to support a strong and sustainable voluntary sector in Hackney. HVA’s vision is for Hackney’s voluntary and community sector to be recognised as providing innovative, effective and high quality community services in the
UK.
African Hackney Youth Football Club
A member of the London Against Gun and Knife Crime partnership, the Club aims to prevent hard-to-reach 14-24 year old African asylum-seekers and refugees living in Hackney from engaging in criminal activities by developing their football skills. They work closely with the African Support and Project Centre and Hackney Sport development officer on this project.
Hackney Youth Service
Hackney Youth Service offers advice and information on a range of themes, counselling and training in personal development for young people aged between 13 and 19 years. Their website features an interactive map so young people can find out about the services available to them through sports clubs, faith-based organisations, and Connexions centres.
