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Press Release

NEW YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CENTRE FOR KILBURN AND SOUTH HAMPSTEAD

13 February 2006

Cllr Theo Blackwell, Camden Council’s Executive Member for Social Inclusion and Community Development, and Mike Stuart, the chair of South Hampstead & Kilburn Community Partnership (SHAK), today (13 February 2006) joined young people in a game of pool to mark the completion of the Alexandra Resource Centre - a new youth and community centre for Kilburn and South Hampstead.

This new building will provide a relaxed and informal space for young residents living within a mile of Ainsworth Hall on the Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate in Kilburn to take part in youth and community projects. Managed by SHAK, these include two youth clubs - for 9 to 13 and 14 to 19 year-olds, a service to help young people into jobs or training, and activities to prevent young people becoming involved in crime and antisocial behaviour.

Cllr Theo Blackwell said: “Bringing this derelict building back into use will give young people in this part of the borough a fantastic new place to go and socialise in a safe and friendly place. Through the centre they will also get to do things they may not normally have had the chance to do. It will also give young people a better chance in life - helping them get work or training and for some to stay out of trouble.”

The centre is also setting up a support group for parents with teenage children. Here parents can share experiences and get support for any problems they may face. There will be activities for older residents and a new scheme to bring young and old people together, to break down barriers and dispel fears and prejudice.

The centre has a games room, chill out area, and café style bar area. It was set up with £150,000 worth of Neighbourhood Renewal funding from the council in a disused hall on the Rowley Way Estate. Camden Council’s housing renewals team managed the refurbishment of the hall.

Mike Stuart, Chair of SHAK, said: “This project has been a real team effort from staff and board members of SHAK and it is wonderful to see this project come to fruition. It is a great example of what can be achieved when the local community work together with the council and other key partners.”

SHAK is a community group aimed at providing services to anybody living within a mile of the Ainsworth Hall on the Alexandra and Ainsworth Estate in Kilburn. It was set up in 2003 with support from a Camden Council Housing initiative aimed at developing community based projects on Camden estates. As well as the projects run from the Alexander Resource Centre it also runs a free IT training centre for the local community and services for families with young children.



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Camden Council

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