RECORD VOTING NUMBERS SELECT LEGACY AS NAME FOR CROYDON’S NEW YOUTHZONE
Croydon’s new £6m facility, the OnSide Youth Zone, has been given its official name ‘Legacy’, after a record number of local young people voted for the name.
The new brand was officially unveiled at an event in the council’s community space last night (Tuesday 18 October).
Legacy will open in 2018 in a new building on Whitehorse Road in Thornton Heath. The project is funded by the council alongside donations from charitable trusts and grants, businesses and individuals, which are secured by the OnSide charity.
The facility will have 20 activities available and be open to any young person from 8 to 19, or up to 25 for those with a disability. For a £5 membership fee sessions will cost just 50p per day.
Young people from Croydon and across London hosted and presented the launch evening, which also featured talks from the project’s chair, Kay Andrews, and Croydon’s cabinet member for children, young people and learning, councillor Alisa Flemming.
Introducing the evening was 18-year-old Chinelo Chizea. She talked about how a group of 40 local young people and volunteers had got together and worked for weeks on developing ideas for the centre’s name and logo. They had also visited the Wigan Youth Zone to see how it operated. Chinelo said: “It was really amazing, we took part in loads of activities, and the staff were totally committed to helping the young people who use the centre.”
The aim of the joint venture between the council and OnSide is to raise aspirations, enhance prospects and improve health and well-being for young people in Croydon.
”Our young people deserve the very best facilities, and Legacy promises to deliver exactly that. As a council we made education provision one of our top manifesto pledges. We have one of the largest school building programmes in the country, and this fantastic development by OnSide means there will be a terrific new offer for young people outside school hours to complement the other great facilities already operating across the borough.”
Councillor Alisa Flemming, cabinet member for children, young people and learning
London-based SEA Design worked for several months with the team of local young people to draw out the design for their new brand. Almost 3,000 people voted for the new name – more than in any of the other areas where OnSide have run similar projects.
Launched in 2008 and based on a successful, tried and tested model, OnSide currently has a network of six operational Youth Zones in Manchester, Bolton, Oldham, Blackburn, Wigan and Carlisle. Two more are set to be completed in 2016 (Wolverhampton and Wirral) and a further 12 are at various stages of planning.
Between now and the official opening staff and volunteers from OnSide will be attending events across Croydon to meet young people and their families to explain what will be on offer and sign up potential new members.
A video produced by OnSide is available on YouTube showing the importance of the centres to young people:
