Young Barking & Dagenham College volunteers help renovate new youth centre in Ilford

Young volunteers help renovate new youth centre in Ilford

A team of Barking & Dagenham College students completed a community project for the charity BoxUpCrime last week.

The project was part of a 12-week Prince’s Trust Team programme which they did at the College. The young people, all aged 16-25, were tasked with working together to find a community-based project, fundraise to be able to purchase materials and then paint/decorate themselves.

They chose to help the charity BoxUpCrime, who will be opening a new contact centre for young people to use in Ilford next year. Young people will be able to visit the centre in Ilford High Street, use computer equipment and have a safe space off the streets to engage with other young people.

BoxUpCrime is a social youth organisation that works with young people at risk of having their lives ruined by crime and motivates them to rebuild and recapture their dreams and aspirations.

The Prince’s Trust students wanted to support the charity and help them to open the new centre. So, they did a sponsored walk around London and a bake sale, raising £300 to buy the materials needed for the painting/decoration project.

Prince’s Trust Team Leader Ryan Jones said: “The students have done very well in finding the project and completing all the work in the short space of time that they had. They raised enough money to be able to complete the project and buy everything that that they needed. Well done to the team on a great project!”