Youth support group sets up new branch

South London Press

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Youth support group sets up new branch

Jul 10 2003

A CHARITY that tries to steer troubled young people away from a life of unemployment and crime, has opened a new branch on a deprived Streatham estate.

Fairbridge works with young people aged from 13 to 25 who are not at school or in work, may have been neglected by their parents and could have fallen into using drugs and committing crime.

Fairbridge workers try to motivate the youngsters, build their confidence and help them find a sense of direction so they can turn their lives around.

The charity has its main base in Kennington but has decided to open a satellite centre on Streatham's Sackville Estate on Leigham Avenue, which has been identified as a deprived area.

The Streatham workers will look for young people who are struggling to keep on the straight and narrow and try to encourage them to sign up for the Fairbridge programme. The structured programme includes an activity course and one-to-one help for the youngsters. It aims to help them learn skills that will help them find work or go back into education as well as skills that will enable them to live alone such as household-budgeting and cooking.

A Fairbridge spokeswoman said: "The main problem is motivation - they have no idea what they want to do. Without any of kind of motivation or hope of a future they get into drugs or crime and end up in a Young Offenders Institute or prison.

"The common thread is that people have given up - at such a young age."

Some of the Fairbridge staff have been through the programme themselves so can relate well to the young peoples' difficulties.

The charity firmly believes that by providing youngsters with a place to go, funding constructive activities and an individual programme of support, they can turn their lives around. The Sackville centre was formally opened on Wednesday. Find out more from www.fairbridge.org.uk

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