The Try Something New Award
Lewisham Music
Lewisham Music is an independent charity on a mission to inspire and empower young people across our community through a diverse programme of learning and music-making. They believe that all children and young people in the borough of Lewisham should have access to a diverse range of high-quality, inspirational musical activities which are appropriate for their ability and aligned to their interests.
Lewisham Music launched a new project ‘Sonic Minds’ which worked with care experienced young people to help them share their stories, celebrate their identity and express themselves through music. The participants reported that the programme helped them communicate through music and increased their teamworking skills.
New Horizon Youth Centre
New Horizon Youth Centre provides young Londoners experiencing homelessness personalised support to give their potential a home. They were founded in 1967 by Lord Longford to address the escalating crisis of young Londoners caught up in homelessness, drug use or the criminal justice system.
NHYC (in partnership with Depaul UK) set up Hotel 1824. It is London’s only youth-specific emergency accommodation hub open to any young person aged 18-24 years of age who is rough sleeping or at immediate risk of doing so. The project was established as a response to increasing levels of homelessness and rough sleeping experienced by young people in London, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
TAG Youth Club for Disabled Young People
TAG Youth Club meets weekly at Ham Youth Centre and aims to empower and optimise the potential of young people aged 15 to 25 who have a disability. This is achieved through a range of informal and experiential learning, both at the youth centre and in the community. TAG is a parent-free zone which provides children and young people with somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to.
TAG introduced a range of new groups in the last 18 months in response to the needs of their young people. They found that young people needed opportunities to re-learn skills that had been lost due to the pandemic. Their young people have reported an increase in confidence, and feeling that TAG truly listen to their views.
Young Urban Arts Foundation
Young Urban Arts Foundation’s mission to empower the lives of young people by strengthening well-being and building opportunities, through creativity and culture, ensuring that they are seen, heard and celebrated. They are known for delivering both empowering and creative outreach workshops in hard-to-reach areas where young people are at high-risk of child exploitation, being a victim of crime or those who do not have access to opportunities.
As most of YUAF’s young people are from the Global Majority, in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, YUAF created YUAF Futures. The programme empowers young people to gain a qualification or skill that would enable them to create change in future.
