Sunderland’s newest youth centre opens its doors thanks to unique funding
The under 18’s club, located at 255/256 High Street West in the city centre, launched thanks to a recently awarded loan of £20,500 from The Social Enterprise Loan Fund (TSELF) which supplemented grants from Big Lottery, Gentoo (Social Housing), Sunderland Council and contributions from the organisations’ director.
The members-only club, which is made up of a sports/chill out area and a dance club, aims to provide a safe social environment for young people from across the city and help teach its young members key social skills, self-esteem and self confidence as well as respect for others.
Diane Richardson, Director of Mission 12-17, said: “We are delighted we have been able to open the centre and we thank Councillor Deny Wilson for his continued support. A lot of hard work has gone into this project, and we are thrilled that so many people came along to see what the new club is all about!
“We now look forward to welcoming youngsters from across Sunderland to the centre.”
The club will operate on two levels: one level will be a general chill-out area with sky sports, music, pool tables and arcade games; and the second level will be open at least four nights a week, with resident DJ, live bands and X Factor style competitions and will cater for all young people who enjoy different types of music. Soft drinks and hot and cold food will also be available.
The youth centre will also introduce a regular drop-in service by organisations such as Youth Drug Alcohol Project, the Sunderland NHS sexual health SHOWT team, Connexions and community police so that young people feel comfortable approaching these services.
Diane Richardson added: “We are truly grateful for the superb support we have received from TSELF, which will really help with the running costs of the centre.
“Our aim is to get young people off the streets into a safe environment whilst tackling issues of binge drinking, anti-social behaviour and drug misuse, and thanks to the funding from TSELF, we are able to do just that!”
Rod Jones, regional director for TSELF, said: “We are delighted to be able to help Mission 12-17 in this way. The fantastic new youth club will provide invaluable facilities and amazing services for many young people across Sunderland.
“TSELF provides loans to social enterprises and charities ranging from £15,000 to £250,000. We are here to help, so we would encourage any social enterprises looking for loans, to contact us.”
The Social Enterprise Loan Fund (TSELF) is a Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) and a registered charity aiming to support social enterprises engaged in social regeneration projects with the provision of loan finance.
TSELF has, to date, invested £8million in social enterprises across the UK, helping clients to generate job opportunities as well as training places. To find out more about TSELF visit www.tself.org.uk or call 020 7680 1028.