XLP Camden Mobile Youth Centre

The Pitch

Problem statement

Camden Council’s last annual health report on adolescent health stated: “serious youth violence causes significant and often lasting physical and psychological injury and trauma. About 1% of serious youth violence results in homicide. It exerts much wider concerns and fears affecting young people and their families and the community.” The wellbeing and safety of the youth of Camden is vital need that impacts not only young individuals but also the communities they reside in. The Cost of Living Crisis only exacerbates this issue. Income depravation and cuts to youth services are only enlarging the inequalities faced by young people.

Solution

XLP aims to continue running its Community Bus program over the next year, focusing on supporting young people aged 10-16 from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Each week, our specially designed double-decker bus visits the Queens Crescent Estate, serving as a hub for reliable, long-term youth programs. The bus provides access to high-quality youth work sessions, each lasting two hours and held at the same time every week to ensure consistency. Through the wide range of activities offered, we build strong, trusted relationships with the young people, helping them cultivate positive behaviours and essential life skills. You can help us create safe thriving spaces for our youth to develop.

Why are we best placed to deliver?

• First, XLP adopts a holistic, long-term approach to engaging with young people. The same youth workers who lead the weekly bus sessions also connect with these individuals in schools, as well as through our arts, sports, and mentoring programs. • Second, building consistent relationships with young people allows our youth workers to support those facing challenges such as poor school attendance, academic struggles, or the risk of exclusion from mainstream education. • Third, by training and collaborating with local volunteers, we are equipping the community with the skills needed to address emerging local issues.

Focus Areas

Delivery plan

Budget breakdown

Beneficiaries

65 people

Who will benefit

Expected impact

Primary outcomes and objectives for this project are to help young people develop a stronger sense of self-worth and confidence, empowering them to set positive goals and work to achieve them. We aim to foster self-discipline and resilience, encouraging them to avoid gang involvement and criminal behaviour, seek support from youth services, and focus on building a brighter future. We will assess progress through surveys conducted by our youth leaders, tracking the "journey travelled" by participants to ensure lasting, meaningful and positive change. Here are some of the results we saw last year, among the young people we supported and mentored: • 70% showed sustained improvements in well-being and self-control • 77% displayed greater resilience and ownership of their decisions • 97% demonstrated continued and enhanced engagement in education This work aims to contribute to creating a thriving community in Camden ensuring the community benefits from the people our youth are becoming.

Track record

XLP’s collaborative work in Camden has led to improvements in the experiences of young people. Partnering with schools in the area such as Parliament Hill, William Ellis and Maria Fidelis ensuring that the students of this community are receiving our support. There has been noticeable improvements in self-esteem, confidence and well-being because of the work that we do at XLP. “If I had to describe XLP in one word it would be: Opportunity. This is because they have given me the opportunity to take on new challenges; experience different things that I would have never thought of doing; and look into different career options whilst networking.” The head teacher at Maria Fidelis says this about XLP's work, “They have provided support outside of school which has been an invaluable help for those students with whom they have worked and I have noticed marked improvements in their confidence and self-esteem that they have attributed to the support provided for them by XLP.”