the programme

MONDAYS

FOOTBALL Under 13s 5.00 –6.30pm

INTERS School years 8, 9 and 10 7.00 – 9.00pm

TUESDAYS

JUNIORS School years 4, 5, 6 and 7 6.00 – 8.00pm

WEDNESDAYS

GIRLS @ KNIGHTS School years 6 - 11 6.00 –8.00pm

INTERS (OFF SITE) School years 8, 9 and 10 7.00-9.00pm

THURSDAYS

FOOTBALL Under 13s 5.00 – 6.30pm

SENIORS School year 11 - under 20s 7.30-10.30

FRIDAYS

JUNIORS School years 4, 5, 6 and 7 6.00-8.00pm

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a note from the chairman

Dear friend

Welcome to our 2007/08 annual report. This has been a good year for the Knights Youth Centre in which we have performed well whilst also addressing some difficult challenges.

This report tells the story of the continuing strength of our apprenticeship scheme (now entering its fourth year) and the centre’s growing reputation with Lambeth Council and other partners – all of which springs from our ability to deliver a really effective service in an extremely challenging area of south London.

Seeing our older young people and apprentices grow in confidence about their futures and ability to contribute is an inspiration to us all.

This report tells another story too. As I am sure you are aware from both national and local media, street violence and young people’s disengagement with society is becoming a real concern. Knights came face to face with this issue when a group of over twenty-five young people decided to camp outside the centre every night, for weeks on end, intimidating our parents, workers and young people. It felt at times as if we were under attack and that this group was determined to see us close down.

To call this period a challenge would be understatement. However, with the hard work of the senior team and fantastic energy of our Senior Youth Worker, we have seen this group turned around and become fully involved in our senior sections. This is real testament to the value of the work we are doing and our capacity to engage with some of the most challenging young people in our community.

On consideration, this report is actually a series of ‘stories’ – some from us, others from members, trainees and partners. I hope as you read through each of them you feel that the Knight’s Youth Centre is an organisation you want to continue supporting and feel proud of. Thank you for your continued support.

Chris SaundersChairman

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early knights

the membersIt’s certainly been a busy year for the Early Knights members. A partnership forged with Richard Atkins Primary School saw us picking up the children from the after school club at 5pm and bringing them over to Knights - a real help in boosting the number of regular members to roughly fifteen per week. With the extra numbers we were able to expand our programme and offer a wider variety of activities to our young people.

You will read later in this report that Early Knights will be coming to an end this summer. In preparation, we have spent some time consulting our young people on this change to help work out how we can best accommodate each of them in the future. There was a mixed response: as expected, most expressed sadness as there are no other youth clubs in the local area for 6-8 year olds, while some others did not feel as affected as they were eagerly looking forward to making the transition from Early Knights to Juniors.

the staffThe current Early Knights team is made up of four TYLAP Trainees, one TYLAP Apprentice and the TYLAP Assistant Coordinator. With such a big and ‘fresh’ team we have been able to come up with some new and innovative ideas. Relationships have continuously grown stronger and a friendly and supportive working environment has evolved.

the futureEarly Knights will go out with a bang. We are planning to run a one week combined summer project with the Juniors section involving various on and offsite activities, including visits to London Zoo and the London Aquarium. We also aim to run a cake sale and possibly a sponsored walk or sports day – look out for us being in touch for donations!

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“I enjoyed it. I had fun on the computers and eye-toy.” Shaidon, 7yrs

“Early Knights is great! I get to use the PC and I am not allowed at home. We get to make food.” Kyra, 7yrs

“I like playing computer and colouring things. I like the name ‘Knights’ because when you leave its night time.”Joshua, 7 ½yrs

“The children look forward to Wednesday nights. I got good feedback from swimming.” Sandra RAP’s worker

fromthehorse’smouth

juniors

the teamThe new first and second year TYLAP trainees were again the mainstay of our Juniors team, enthusiastically taking on the new responsibilities and challenges of providing the quality youth work that we are striving for. Their contribution has been fantastic.

the highlightsThe very highest of highlights from the last year was the performance of the members’ dance group, which really was testament to what young people can achieve when they dedicate themselves to something in the right environment. Practicing every Tuesday evening throughout the winter, it was amazing to see the group gradually become more inspired each week as they gave their all to create something special together.

Their efforts culminated in a presentation evening on the final club night before Christmas. We invited an audience to come along to see how the commitment and effort of these members had resulted in two show-stopping performances.

Dancing on the stage in front of at least fifty people in total (including about fifteen parents) was a new and daunting experience for the group, but also hugely rewarding. Thanks go to Denis for his enduring dedication in spurring the group through practice

sessions on cold, dark nights and the performance itself. Such was the success and ‘fame’ of the group, it looks like other members will take inspiration from the performances and will want to try and match their achievements as a part of future dance teams.

Another (if not so glamorous) highlight was our cake sale. Over ten parents and friends turned up during the course of the evening to support us, which gave us the

rare opportunity to talk with them in-depth about the club – its past, present and future – and what we are looking to achieve with Juniors. It was also an encouraging evening financially as we raised £115, including donations from absent friends. Thanks again go to Pat & Audrey who helped us out by providing other snacks and drinks.

the futureA five day joint summer project with the Early Knights is planned and we also look forward to a potential trip to Wey Island and hopefully a week’s venture to Carroty Wood in Kent during September.

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inters

It’s been a challenging year for Inters in which a significant rise in negative and anti-social behaviour by some of the older young people at the centre in the summer of 2007 seriously affected our ability to attract members to join us on Wednesdays. At the time, it proved to be a gauntlet which many current and prospective members were not prepared to run - and understandably so.

The team worked hard to preserve an environment that was attractive to young people and provide reassurance to parents and carers and, in part, the events of that summer played a role in our decision to restructure our service delivery.

It is no secret that young people in the transition between primary and secondary school can sometimes fall away from a youth centre. The restructure will seek to address this point by extending Juniors to include Year 7 (first year of secondary school), to provide stability and familiarity through this time of change in a young person’s life. Inters will now be available for young people in school years 8 to 10.

Enough of the theory. Here’s what’s been going on…

Despite the shortage in numbers, there were nevertheless a number of memorable highlights throughout the year. These included the old favourites such as climbing Box Hill, a week in Georgeham, swimming, using the computers, football and pool.

These activities were complimented by some relatively new and - dare we say it - urban myth status activities. One such activity was PAL. No, not the dog food, but Photo A Landmark. PAL consisted of a team of members finding twenty listed landmarks around the City and West End of London. Once they had identified the landmarks, members were divided into teams and driven to each by either Rob or Stu. With a deadline of 10pm, the teams had to take a photo of themselves at each landmark before making their way back to the centre. This generated a surprising amount of interest and competitiveness and, to this day, there is still debate on who won! (“For the record, my team did. Not that it was a competition in the first place, of course” - Stu)

The team’s hard work and creativity has paid dividends and we are pleased to say that young people have been returning to Inters. With the restructure and ongoing commitment from the team, we are confident that this upward trend will continue.

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seniors

A mixed year for Seniors has, to an extent, mirrored the Knights experience as a whole, in that our successes have presented challenges and our challenges have brought successes.

In contrast with Inters, Seniors has seen a massive surge in the numbers of members attending. Whilst it’s always positive to see more young people show an interest in joining, this development brought its own very specific challenges.

Since last year’s report, Knights has engaged with a large group of up to fifty young people twice a week - Seniors and Workshop Nite. Unfortunately, a number of this group brought with them range of issues that proved a very real threat to the day-to-day activities at the centre. We are happy to say that, having attended the club for a few months, a growing number of those young people are becoming positive peer role models. Seeing some fruit come from their labours has been a massive boost for the team and much deserved reward for their efforts.

One of the by-products of the problems Seniors has faced over the past twelve months has been the prospect of some of the existing members being indirectly squeezed out. The team had to work hard to maintain relationships with these young people, and the creation of the Boyz Ting programme supported this effort (see later in the report).

Another success was taking 25 young people – the majority of which hadn’t been before – to meet the challenge of Box Hill. As usual, it was a dark, cold and slightly wet night and most of the young people had little or no comprehension of what they were about to do.

We can’t print the phrases uttered by some of the members when they were confronted with the stark realisation of the climb! Sometime later all the young people, including a few who had been wearing highly unsuitable slip-on shoes, made it to the top the hard way, bringing with them a great sense of pride and personal achievement.

Seniors is alive, kicking and generating a positive vibe at the moment. The team and most of the members want to keep it that way.

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“We all made it to the top, taking with us a great sense of pride and personal achievement” Stu Thomson

fromthehorse’smouth

stu’s view

Each year I come to write these articles for the Annual Report; each year it’s a great opportunity to pause and reflect on what’s been and gone - and what is to come.

As will be highlighted elsewhere in this report, we have had to face some tough, challenging and sometimes dangerous situations at Knights over the last twelve months. There have been moments when, quite understandably, staff morale has been lower than I can remember in my eight years of service. It hurts both personally and professionally when members of the Knights family are put at risk, assaulted or intimidated by young people we are trying to help. There were times last year when the valley was dark and it was hard to see the mountain tops, let alone get there.

But…we are extremely fortunate to have a team of committed and passionate people who journeyed through the valley and who are now climbing the mountain. Knights is strong. It has had to be.

The media seems preoccupied with the negative image of young people, especially in South London. We live and work to make a positive difference to young people and, without places such as Knights - run by people who seek to demonstrate love, grace and forgiveness - there is little hope.

Don’t despair. Within the chaos, stress and seemingly ever-present reality of aggression and violence, the good guys are winning some of the battles. Many of the articles in this report are testament to that.

There is a huge amount of potential in the current vision of the Knights team. This is being mirrored by some key young people taking on additional and informal positive roles. All of this provides great inspiration as we take on the challenge of restructuring our delivery for the first time in more than a decade and focus on strengthening the service rather than creating new projects.

It has been another eventful year and as always there are many key folks to publicly thank. Thanks to Ros, Ella and Megan (my girls), Michelle and the TYLAP posse, Rob, Dave, Rev. Dr Bob Mayo (who gets me thinking on another level), Jenea (for sticking it out) and Alan (for the curries).

Grace and peace.Stu Thompson, Senior Youth Worker

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empowering young people

Angus Johnson, Chief Executive of the Clapham Park Project, discusses how he sees Knights and the role of TYLAP in the local community.

Clapham Park Project (CPP) supports and part-funds the Trainee Youth Leader Apprenticeship Programme (TYLAP) at the Knights Youth Centre.

CPP is keen to work on this partnership with Knights Youth Centre because we feel that the TYLAP scheme is a good practice model of community based learning. This alternative approach to learning is particularly applicable to those young people deemed 'hard to reach', who may not attend more formal institutions such as their local colleges.

TYLAP provides a good combination of theoretical and practical learning and equips residents with the key skills to become future youth workers. CPP supports TYLAP students through one-to-one tuition sessions and we feel that TYLAP provides real opportunity for young people in the Clapham Park area. Similarly, we are also convinced that the TYLAP-trained youth workers provide a real benefit to all Clapham Park residents.

We have enjoyed providing work experience for many of the young people on the scheme, offering them the opportunity to gain the practical skills needed in their chosen career. The ethos of our youth programme is all about empowering young people and the TYLAP programme reflects this approach. With all the negative stories we read about young people in Lambeth it’s refreshing to support a scheme which shows young residents in a positive light.

We would like to continue working with Knights Youth Centre on this fantastic scheme in the future because we feel that Knights is providing an excellent service for many of the young people living in Clapham Park.

Angus Johnson Chief ExecutiveClapham Park Project

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what’s in a name?

On average we are exposed to over a thousand ‘brands’ each day. These brands could be fashion labels, football clubs, banks, computer game makers...the list is almost endless. We might see an advert for their products on the television, drive past one of their buildings, receive a letter from them in the post or get handed a leaflet in the street.

Of those thousand however, how many do we actually remember? Most of us will only remember a very small fraction. Recent research has shown that, of those thousand, we only discuss about twelve with our friends and family a day. Only one per cent of organisations that we come into contact with actually manage to have enough impact on our lives to make them memorable.

To stick in the memory, these organisations say something whenever we come into contact with them that somehow conveys what they do and stand for in a way that resonates with us. Distilling a whole organisation – its products, people and philosophy – into something attractive and bite size for people to see and warm to day-in day-out is something that takes a lot of thought and effort. Getting it wrong or right can create reputations, or destroy them.

There’s no reason Knights shouldn’t think in a similar way about what it stands for and how it communicates those values. With every poster we pin to a board, every greeting of a parent picking up a member and every fund-raising event we hold, we are subtly passing messages to the outside world about who we are and what we are offering young people.

In light of all this, we held a session with Knights management and all the TYLAP trainees at Woodrow in November last year to

have a collective think about how we define what Knights is, what it does and for whom in 2007. We also had a think about what a Knights ‘mission statement’ might look like – and how we might put it into action in our daily work. For an organisation that is over seventy years old and with such a breadth of ideas and perspectives in one room, this wasn’t as easy as it sounds.

Everyone soon got stuck into the task, seeming to relish the opportunity to take a step back from their individual responsibilities and think more widely about the role Knights plays in the lives of young people.

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We decided Knights offers:trust – a home – equality – variety – commitment – passion – a chance – exercise – support – alternatives – community – team building – diversity – respect – space – variety - reliability – care – opportunity – confidentiality – challenge – stretch – communication – build – optimism – a family – youth – faith

It was fantastic to witness in one room the passion and drive that so many young people have for Knights and youth work more generally – a palpable commitment to making a difference. Trainees and senior management together initially brainstormed their perspectives on Knights’ core offering, with themes like equality, opportunity and providing a challenge regularly coming up in discussion. The group then went on to think about the young people that attend Knights: who they are, where they have come from and what they are looking for in a youth centre. We also brainstormed ‘the typical knights leader’ – including drawing pictures. We decided not to include these images in the report...

By the end of a session in which a huge array of ideas had been bounced off the red walls of the meeting room, we were in a position to try bringing it all together. We divided into groups to come up with brief Knights ‘mission statements’ or slogans. Some are listed below to give you an idea. Be warned – some are more cheesy than others!

“Your utopia – we offer a range of indoor and outdoor activity full of enthusiasm and enjoyment”

“Providing voluntary services that make a difference to young people for seventy years, and still going strong”

“Your club – a safe haven where you can relax, be challenged and supported”“Our passion is yours – if you want it to be”

“Knights offers great opportunities to have fun, meet people and jam (relax)”“Together we are stronger”

“Learning from each other – each one teach one”

We aren’t planning a new advertising campaign – it isn’t about that. But it did serve as a valuable reminder for trainees, leaders and management alike that what Knights stands for can shine through in even the smallest things that we do. Most encouragingly for us all, it was a vibrant session brimming with ideas, perspectives and enthusiasm in which the drive and vision of the current trainees at Knights was clear to see.

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partnerships

As always in the voluntary sector the need to develop strong, effective and productive partnerships is crucial to the sustainability and development of the service we deliver.

Below are some of our partners whose support has made a monumental difference to Knights this year.

High profile BBC Children in Need continues to support Knights through part-funding Stu Thomson’s salary.

The Clapham Park Project’s ongoing support of TYLAP and other local initiatives is priceless.

Coutts Bank is a new partner who has been generous enough to support this year’s Georgeham holiday.

The Jack Petchey Foundation continues to support Knights through the Achievement Awards which promotes young people’s achievement. The Foundation is providing valuable funds to TYLAP.

The Lambeth Children’s and Young People’s Service is a long-standing partner. It has just awarded Knights £80,000 to develop the Seniors and Girls work for the next three years. Knights will also be applying to secure further funding from LCYPS for its work with 8 – 13 year olds and targeted work with 14 – 19 year olds this year.

London Action Trust have been empowering and enabling a large number of the team to be trained in Peer Mentoring.

London Active Communities have been working with Knights to deliver the Boyz Ting programme.

Proving Ground Safety Solutions provided - and continue to provide - Knights staff with very specific and relevant training in managing conflict and aggressive, violent behaviour.

The flexibility of the Safer Neighbourhood Team in their support of our work with some of the more difficult young people has been invaluable over the last twelve months.

The Tudor Trust has seen TYLAP’s potential and its support has enabled Knights to sustain the service.

The Walcot Foundation (Lambeth Endowed Charities) continues to support TYLAP, but it is also working in partnership with Knights to implement a Lambeth-wide apprenticeship scheme aimed at young people not in education, employment or training or who have left care.

Thanks once again to you all for your invaluable support.

girls @ Knightsannualreport2008

activitiesEach Friday at precisely half past seven we have opened the doors to an average of ten girls for Girls Night. We have run a varied programme, taking in everthing from quizzes to pool, and even indulged ourselves with pizza and chinese food.

One standout activity however was when we took the girls down to the Threshold Centre for a session on ‘Identity’. This was a real success as it offered each of them something as individuals but also allowed them to participate in activities with other young people from the local area.

staff Sadly, last term we lost Jenea, one of the key members of the team, due to other commitments. Karis and Athena however have coped very well in keeping the session going with the assistance of one of TYLAP’s Trainees. The staff continue to maintain great professional relationships and are putting their heads together to come up with new ideas for evening sessions and streams of funding that could be investigated.

forthcoming EventsWe hope to run more off site trips over the summer, and are seeking funding for a weekend trip to Center Parcs. Fingers crossed! We would also like to give our girls the opportunity to see the theatre production of ‘Into the Hoods’ and will be looking into the potential for getting some discounted tickets.

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“I like girls’ night because we get to have fun without the boys!”Keisha, 11yrs

“We get to play pool. At Junior’s the boys always interrupt!”Melanie, 13 yrs

fromthehorse’smouth

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cash matters

As with previous years we have split our report on finances into two sections. The first deals with the finances of the main centre, the second with TYLAP. The actual accounts for the year ending the 31st March 2008 have been passed to the auditor for checking as always. Once audited, copies will be provided on request. Last year we advised that the expenditure for the centre had exceeded income by around £6,000. This year our income has exceeded expenditure by just over £9,000. A significant proportion of this positive variance relates to monies being received which had been owed from the previous year and / or grants coming in that have not been fully spent yet. However, our 'coffers' have swollen over the past year by a couple of thousand which has allowed us to transfer £2,500 into our minibus fund account. This was set up a few years ago to help us purchase a new van towards the end of the current decade - more on this next year. As always we are blessed with support from all our partners and friends. Special thanks go to BBC Children in Need, Clapham Park Project (CPP), Lambeth Children’s and Young People’s Service, The Elizabeth & Prince Zaiger Trust and Jack Petchey. Moving onto TYLAP, for which our income and expenditure is easier to predict than the main centre’s. During the last year our expenditure of £111,663 came in 1.5% under budget, whilst our income was 3% under budget. Due to the tremendous support provided by CPP, Jack Petchey, Garfields, the Walcot Foundation and Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund we have been able to provide an excellent programme in 2007/8 and our funding for the next 12 months is also secure. However, we currently only have 50% of the funds needed for the 2009/10 period and therefore further work and prayer will be required. Special thanks should also be made to Fredrik Brorson (Michelle Marquis' husband) who ran the Stockholm marathon last year to raise funds for TYLAP. With regard to our budgets for 2008/9 we are pleased to report that we expect to have sufficient funds to finance our activities for the next 12 months. Overall our total expenditure is now just under £240,000 – itself an indication of the extent of the service we deliver and support we need and receive. Once again, thank you all for your continuing support.

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raisin’ Rwanda one year on

Rose Gakwandi, Coordinator of the Mwana Ukundwa Association, looks back at Knights’ trip to Rwanda last year and gives us an update on recent events.

A team of young people and two youth workers visited the Mwana Ukundwa Association last year. The staff and beneficiaries enjoyed their stay and we still talk about it! We are so grateful to the support the team provided to AMU, and so impressed by the way they

raised the money. May God bless them for each step they make for the benefit of needy children in Rwanda.

So much was accomplished when the team was here. I would love to start by talking about the relationship and sharing love with not only the staff but also the beneficiaries (Rwandan children). This very crucial especially in an association that works with poor and HIV infected

children with low self-esteem, who feel abandoned and discriminated. Through the interaction, the Rwandan youth learnt a lot about the team’s experiences and the culture. I hope the team also learnt some of our culture.

Apart from that culture experience, the team helped us a lot in our morning devotion, by sharing, singing and giving testimony. This was very powerful in terms of the youth and staff. As a Christian organisation we do believe that the foundation of everything is the word of God. When people come to know Jesus Christ, He can also meet their needs, put their lives in order, hence protect them against HIV, he can heal all illness. In addition to this we learnt from the team the good methods of sharing the word of God with children and youth in a more attractive and creative way.

Sport is one of activities that our children and youth enjoy. Children and youth in primary schools and vocational training were so excited to play with the team. They played different games: volleyball, basketball, football and others. This is also a social activity which means a lot to Rwandans. AMU encourages sport activities amongst children and youth because we believe is very important not only for physical growth, but also for building peace and reconciliation in a post-genocide period and also for psychological benefit.

We highly appreciated the sport equipment brought by the team. We do have the teams of volleyball, football and basketball in AMU and in the school we support. Our team did not have uniform and they would play with their casual clothes, one team would have the top (t-shirt) as to differentiate themselves with the other team. With the uniform we

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were given by the team we no longer needed to do this. We even lent the uniform to the school where they are invited to take place in completion.

This year in June our football team were invited to participate in the Eastern Cup tournament and they used the uniform. We can’t miss also to mention that the cameras Knights brought help us in taking the pictures to be used for fundraising and reporting our activities.

I would love also to appreciate the visit they paid to two child-headed households and do some building there. This was very touching to the family members and the community around them. We hope that many teams will be sent to Rwanda and continue in this sense.

use of money As I mentioned, AMU was impressed by the fundraising carried out by the team before they visited AMU. No words can thank people who walked miles and miles to support needy children in Rwanda. 6,261.34$ was paid into AMU account from Knights Youth Centre. The amount was used as followed:

50 high school students received schools fee and school materials: 5,000$ 100 infected children were fed every Saturday for 5 months: 1,000$ The remaining was used for administration: 261.34$

Total 6,261.34$

AMU is so grateful to the Knights Youth Centre for the above support, and all the activities they accomplished during their staying. We are looking forward to further partnership.

May the Lord bless the work you are doing.

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The AMU football team prepare to participate in the Eastern Cup

off da road: developing positive youth

An increasing number of young people think life ‘on da road’ is the way ahead. For many, this choice ends up with a prison sentence or becoming a victim, sometimes resulting in the tragic loss of life. Almost 40 young people have been killed by other young people in the last 15 months, many in South London. The media reports about young people and increasing gun and knife culture plaguing our streets might convince some that there is no hope.

It is our job to redress the balance by being proactive and positive, nurturing the potential of young people. We are therefore developing a range of programmes which we hope will together provide a positive, relevant, accessible and credible alternative to life ‘on da road’.

TYLAP is demonstrating that young people – whatever their background - can become a positive influence within their community.

Boyz Ting is a new project which works with young men aged 13 – 16 focusing on behaviour management, communication skills and self confidence through a ten week programme. The Boyz Ting project has made a positive start and has been delivered in partnership with London Active Communities. The programme includes group work, team building, residentials and trips. The plan is to extend the Boyz Ting project to run throughout the year and to include 16 – 19 year olds.

Our Senior Outreach Project will seek to develop and challenge young people’s lifestyles through empowering individuals (and groups) to take ownership and responsibility for the decisions they make and promoting community and citizenship. The project will also encourage leadership and volunteering opportunities. It is our plan to launch the Senior Outreach Project in September, but this is subject to securing funding.

Girls@Knights has been delivering a programme for three years now. We have applied for funding to recruit a part time qualified Young Women’s Development Worker. This post would revolutionise the programme but also provide professional support to the other Knights programmes.

STOP THE PRESS – We have just received verbal confirmation that Knights has been awarded £80,000 from Lambeth Children’s and Young People’s Service for the next three years to deliver the Senior Outreach Project and to develop the Girls @ Knights programme.

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four years on, and TYLAP is still growingannualreport2008

TYLAP is now half way through its fourth year, and is moving on in leaps and bounds. We currently have a part-time co-ordinator, a part-time assistant co-ordinator, four apprentices, a student youth worker, sixteen trainees and one detached supervisor.

This growth has helped us become more ambitious and stretch further into the community. Over the past year for example we have strengthened our relationships with local organisations and currently have three apprentices working for a few hours a week in two local schools. They take on a wide range of responsibilities varying from helping out at after-school clubs to running dance projects.

Nevertheless, one of the ongoing challenges for TYLAP is securing funding for both our short and long term plans. This is something everyone involved has responsibility for and we are constantly applying for appropriate new sources of funding. There is still a long way to go to secure financial stability for the next few years.

Now that TYLAP is maturing, we are looking for new ways of raising public awareness of what it is and does. We have, for example, developed a new promotional DVD which was ‘premiered’ at our recent recruitment and launch day. This will help us to promote our project during this year’s recruitment drive will hopefully also be a useful resource when communicating with our funders and other working partnerships – such as the Clapham Park Project and Clapham Youth Centre.

Because of TYLAP’s ongoing expansion, last year it was decided that we needed our own premises. This year we moved into the wing of Knights (it is perhaps ironic that it used to be known as the skills wing) and now have space for offices, a training room and a staff area. TYLAP is now clearly visible as an organisation linked to, but separate from, Knights. Upon entering TYLAP you are welcomed into a staff area with comfortable seating and drink-making facilities. We also have office space for seven workstations - so all the TYLAP staff can work hard, no excuses!

One of the main benefits of moving premises is that we now have access to a training room, with a projector and pull down screen. This is a great help especially for the purposes of our Introductory Studies course, which we can now run from ‘inside’ TYLAP, and also as we prepare slideshows and presentations.

All of the staff at TYLAP would like to thank everyone involved at all levels from grass roots to management for all the help and support which has been provided over the past four years. The future looks bright: we are confident that the programme will continue to flourish and look forward to continuing to work with you all over the coming weeks, months, and years.

leading in trainingannualreport2008

One part of the TYLAP programme is devoted to constantly finding new and exciting placements for our trainees that will provide them with new experiences that will stretch and enrich them.

We recently found Sharna Gayle – one of our trainees – one such placement. Sharna joined a course run by the Prince’s Trust

Team at the Oval Cricket Ground. The Prince’s Trust programme is a challenging twelve-week personal development course for 16-25 year olds.

Feedback from Sharna’s main supervisor on the course, Hannah Leadbeater, shows the remarkable breadth of experience such placements are giving TYLAP trainees:

“Sharna was a committed and valued member of the team. Whilst on the course, she helped repaint a community hall and arrange a day out for guests of the Robes Project, which helps homeless people. The skills she developed through such work are invaluable, and her organisational and communication skills were crucial to the success of the team. She also demonstrated compassion whilst dealing with other members of the community.

“During the final week of the course, Sharna and the rest of her team gave a presentation to an invited audience at the Oval. Sharna spoke confidently and eloquently about her achievements over the three-month programme. This is a testament to the progress she has made during the course, and to the bright future she has ahead of her.”

Glowing endorsement. Congratulations to Sharna, who continues at TYLAP volunteering as part of the team at Clapham Youth Centre.

the TYLAP fresher: Gary Ashboltannualreport2008

It’s been a challenging experience for Sharna, but one she has relished and enjoyed. Sharna herself explains:

“The Prince’s Trust course consists of a work placement, community project and two residential projects. Having completed this course I gained a City and Guilds Certificate in Personal skills, Team work and Community work. Overall, the course has helped me to broaden my horizons and put into perspective what I want to achieve in life. It has helped me build my confidence and meet new people. I would definitely recommend this course to all young people.”

fromthehorse’smouth

”

Since TYLAP began, one of its many aims is to provide its trainees with the eventual possibility of securing a place on a degree course at University.

I have the great privilege of being the first TYLAP trainee to make full use of this opportunity and, with the guidance and support available to me from the TYLAP team, I was able to successfully apply for and get a place at University. I am now in my second year of a BA Honours Degree in Education, Culture and Society at Goldsmiths, University of London.

The great news is that since I enrolled at Goldsmiths, TYLAP has helped five more young people to start degree courses. We’ve got students spread across the country from London to Manchester! There are also four apprentices who are currently going through the process of applying for degrees, all related to youth work. They have already received offers from three great universities - Goldsmiths, Roehampton and Kingston.

It’s great that those of us who are already on degree courses can support those at the beginning of the journey whether that be helping fill out application forms or giving advice for a first day on campus.

We hope that, as TYLAP goes from strength to strength over the next few years, even more young people will choose university. Whatever they choose, we look forward to supporting them both in their degrees and careers in youth work.

Gary Ashbolt

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“

another launch night to remember

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Another year, another successful TYLAP launch night. On Friday 25th April 2008, prospective new recruits for next year’s programme attended in numbers to speak with staff, current and previous trainees – and fill out application forms.

Michelle Marquis, an ex-member of the club and currently the TYLAP Co-ordinator, is already looking forward to next year’s programme.

“I am so pleased with the amount of young people that turned up at the launch to find out more, and those who completed application forms on the night. As always, I am so proud of everyone on the TYLAP team both past and present – everyone did a fantastic job.

“As with many – if not all – of Knights’ successes, it could not have been achieved without the support of TYLAP’s partners”, Michelle continues. “I am very appreciative of the support and interest that Keith Hill MP, Angus Johnson (Chief Executive of Clapham Park Project), Donna Henry (Chair of CPP), Sue Bowman (Vice Chair of CPP), Junior Shabazz (Lambeth Council), Gill Keanily (Positive Activities for Young People, and Keith Snape (Clapham and Stockwell Town Centre Manager) gave us for the launch.”

We look forward to welcoming next year’s TYLAP recruits in September.

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“The TYLAP programme has helped me to come a long, long way. Before TYLAP I would never finish anything. I was totally lacking focus and motivation. I now feel like I have the support and encouragement from my peers to do something more productive in my life.” Natalie Morson, is an Apprentice Youth Worker, 19 yrs

fromthehorse’smouth

looking forward to 2009

Writing an article about the future is always an interesting task – not least because best laid plans can often be suddenly pushed aside by an unexpected development. As I am writing this, the journey of the Olympic torch is being hijacked by those who want to register complaints about the host’s human rights record. Was this anticipated even 12 months ago when the routes were being planned?

With the challenges we have experienced over the last 24 months concerning financial security and a large gang actively working to intimidate us into closing, it has sometimes felt that our own plans were being knocked off course.

It is perhaps just as well that the Youth Centre develops its future vision and aspirations over a 3-year period as, in an ever-changing world (particularly for young people in the inner city), it is sometimes difficult to be precise.

Our current 3-year plan comes to an end in March 2009 and we will be taking the opportunity in November to involve all our workers, management and apprentices (young people) in helping to shape our aspirations and service developments up until March 2012 (that Olympic Games theme again!).

Our main opportunities and challenges for 2008/09 are as follows: Work with Lambeth to transfer our funding arrangements for Girls @

Knights and our 8-13 provision into a three-year contract arrangement with a clear specification and performance framework.

Deliver a new apprenticeship programme for Young People leaving Lambeth’s care system (three-year contract from April 2008) with funding from the Walcot Foundation.

Review and modify our current age groupings in light of changing needs for young people in the community. We hope to align ourselves more closely with Lambeth departments and government programmes whilst opening more frequently for young people aged 9-21. Although this will involve us no longer running Early Knights (6-9 year olds), which opened in 1990, the extended schools and children’s centre programme delivered over the last ten years by government has now overtaken us to the point where our resources could be used more effectively with older age groups.

These are both exciting and challenging times. It is clear that the government are taking the issue of disengaged youth most seriously and will be looking to Youth Service Providers to play a key role in reaching the most vulnerable groups over the next three years and beyond. We look forward to it.

Chris Saunders, Chairman

annualreport2008

Allen, Trevor & Pauline Davie, LynnAllman, Derek Davis, Mrs. C

Allman, Richard Day, Pauline & PeterApthorpe, Bob & Penny Defoe, Ingrid

Attfield, Dennis Dell, Martin & ChrissieAvis, Geoff & Barbara Devine, lan

Baker, E.O Devine, Lawrie, Sarah & SandraBaker, Eric Douglas, Annette

Baker, Mr. & Mrs. R M Douglas, AudreyBall, Mrs Mary Downe, Terry

Barry, Kevin Drury, Maureen & JimBatty, Geoff & Pam Duffin, Hazel

Batty, Jane Duffin, MaryseBeken, Jenny Duffin, Sue & Roger

Belcher, Colin & Henrietta Duncan, TimBillinghay, John & Margaret Dunkley, Dot

Boote, Gordon Eaton, Mr. L. E.Boote, Jean Evans, Russ & Angela

Bosley, Steve Fairfield, EnaBradford, Fred & Daphne Faulkner, MargaretBradshaw, David & family Feltham, Dave

Braham, Brian & Linda Fuller, Mick & SueBramcote, Mrs George, John

Brannan, Brian & Marie Gibbons, LizBrown, Nigel & Margaret Gibbons, Tross & Barbara

Browne, Tara Giles, George and AudreyBruce, Don Giles, Howard & JuliaBurke, John Giles, Jenny & Chris

Bunting-Ghafoor, Yvonne Glassborow, Rachel & MartinBurne, Joan & Nick Glyde, AlanBurtenshaw, Terry Grant, Millie

Bushell, Mickey & Jean Gray, Don & BrendaCaplan, Harris Green, Joyce

Chudleigh, Paul & Jenny Grimble, Geraldine & CharlieClark, Dave & Marylyn Gumm, Ruth & Ivor

Clisby, David Guile, JoanColeson, Mr Haberdashers Company

Corfield, Joan Hall, Steve & ChristineCorns, Cathy Hamer, Brian & Daphne

Cox, Jane & Martin Hamerton, Paul & LesleyCross, Jackie & Malcolm Harding, Jean

Crowson, Dr. A. Harrison, MikeCulshaw, Robert & Elaine Hawthorne, Catherine

Daly, Robert Henley, Paul & LynneDauncey, Terri Henry, Michael & Clare

friends of Knights

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Heyda, Tod Newitt, AnnHill, Keith M.P. Newman, John

Holland, Mr. & Mrs. Newton, Jane & EdHope, Susan & Malcolm Nichols, Terese & MarkHorton, Mrs, Margaret Norris, Richard & Judith

Hudson, Mabel , Nowles, Tony & SylviaHuckle, Barbara O'Hagan, John & Sheila

Jackson, Bob & Sara Oliver, John & KimJarlett, Bruce & Mary Palfrey, Liz

Johnson, Rev Mike Padgham, Janet & RobinJoel-Esam, Barbara & Peter Pain, Brenda & Bill

Jordan, Clint & Family Parkinson, Jean & MichaelKendall, Malcolm & Jeannie Parry, Peter

Kennard, Margaret Parsons, TimKennard, Ray & Kesorn Patel, Christine & AshKing, Dave & Elizabeth Pemberton, Chris

King, Leslie & Sheila Phillips, Mrs. L M.King, Malcolm & Audrey Pilcher, Dave & Barbara

King, Richard & Avril Pinder, John & RitaKnight, Margaret Poole, Sally

Knowledon, Philippa Plant, RobertKuti, Tim & Helen Ritter, Richard & Jackie

Lee, Mr & Mrs Frank Robinson, Tom & HelenaLock, Dave & Angela Robson, Quinton & Cathy

Lockyer, Kathleen Rooks, Lorraine & BarryLong, Leslie & Brenda Ross, Dr. ChristopherLong, Martin & Jane Rymer, Gwen

Longman, Brian & Sheila Saunders, Chris & JulieLynn, Cliff & Pauline Saunders, RussellMallett, Dick & Jane Saunders, John & Alison

Manning, Jannine & John Saunders, Neil & BredaMannion, Mike & Jacqueline Saunders, Ron & Pat

Marquis, David Savage, RoyMarquis-Brorson, Michelle & Seagroatt, JoanMarshall, Rev. John & Maggie Sillince, Kevin &Amanda

McDonell, Sarah Smith, ArnoldMcLean, Leigh & Julie Smith, Janice

Memsah, Rev Smith, Martin & MarylynMerchant, Sheila Smith, Ray & Andree

Middleton, Daphne Smith, Roger & DianeMing, Lyn Smith, Vi

Moran, Terry & Sabah Snelling, Henry & PamMorrison, Irena Southall, Andy & Theresa

Moughtin, Brian & Peggy Stevens, Peter & MaureenMurray, Shirley

friends of Knights

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CHAIR MAINTENANCEChris Saunders Quentin Robson

VICE CHAIR GARDENERMillie Grant Cathy Robson

SENIOR YOUTH WORKER TEAM WORKERSStu Thomson Omotayo Akindileni

Helen Backway TYLAP COORDINATOR Tosin Balogun Michelle Marquis Shervean Barry

Simon BlackleyTREASURER Ann BrownJohn Saunders Melanie Bryan

Paul BurtADMINISTRATOR Jennifer CadetteAlison Saunders Elisabeth Casson

Keighley ColemanHEALTH AND SAFETY OFFICER Dominic ChristopherAnne Walker Dave Doran

Robert EnglishPUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER Nina GilbertBrenda Pain Louis James Hamilton

Sarah HughesPREMISES MANAGER Shaloni JaldoRon Saunders Kyle Jemmett

Dennis KaateSECTION LEADERS Stella KityoDon Gray - Juniors Aedenya KnightKaris Theophane - Eks, Girls @ Knights Sharlie Chelsea Manning

Daniel MorrisPARENTS REPRESENTATIVES Chantel MorsonErrol Bell & Susanne Blatch Natalie Morson

Tracey OliverLETTINGS OFFICER Sasha RamseyPat Saunders Claudia Reid

Alan RobertsRev. John Marshall Athena Rosan

Nadine Russell-Henry MAINTENANCE Emmanuel SantiagoQuentin Robson Maggie Shelton

Angela WaifeGARDENER Cherise Wilson Cathy Robson Moriam Yusuff

the knights team

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