Croydon’s Choose Your Future campaign is now the focus of a four-week tram and bus promotion, which starts today.
A two-week Decaux board promotion also starts tomorrow – both highlight the aims of the council’s campaign, which seeks to support young people and to unite Croydon against serious youth violence.
The adverts tell young people where they can seek help on a range of concerns, from exam time stresses, to pressure to carry knives. Career and leisure options are also signposted, in a bid to help young people make positive choices.
The campaign launched last autumn with support from the police, Croydon BID, Palace for Life Foundation and Reaching Higher, and now has the backing of a wide range of youth organisations and young people. These include Croydon Council apprentices, Croydon College, Croydon’s young mayor and deputy young mayor, Legacy youth zone, Reaching Higher and The BRIT School.
Over the next few months the campaign continues with a raft of opportunities for the borough’s young people to make their voices heard and get involved in positive activities.
From crime to careers, social care to summer fun, Croydon’s youth forums are open to all residents aged 11-18 and cover a huge range of local issues, enabling young people to find out what’s going on in their community, benefit from training, meet decision-makers and have their say.
South forum will be meeting 5-7pm on 4 June at the council offices, east area 5-7pm on 11 June at Goldcrest Youth Centre, and north 5-7pm on 18 June at Samuel Coleridge Centre. All are welcome to attend – to register or to find out more information email porsha.robinson@croydon.gov.uk.
Also over the coming months, construction work continues on Croydon’s new £6.5million state-of-the art youth zone, which will offer young people a good range of world-class facilities and activities when it opens in 2019.
A steering group of young people have been at the heart of the project throughout and once open the new youth zone will offer up to 70 jobs (mixture of park and full time) and up to 100 volunteering opportunities.
Councillor Tony Newman, leader of the council
“Croydon has the largest youth population in London and we want to unite the borough to support them. Whether you run a youth club, voluntary or faith group, business or sports facilities, please support the Choose Your Future campaign. It’s a really exciting time for young people in Croydon, with some fantastic opportunities coming up – it’s time for us all to get behind them in making positive choices.”
To find out more see http://news.croydon.gov.uk/choose/
