Two examples are best friends Hannah (17) and Fawziya (16). Hannah and Fawziya didn’t know each other before they came to Unitas. They both attended a session in the Music Room and it is this session that they credit with being the start of their friendship.
Both avid film and media enthusiasts, they told us that “the Media Room has changed our lives” and when asked about how Unitas has impacted their lives outside of the Youth Zone, Fawziya said, “I found my passion for film at Unitas. I wouldn’t have applied for the BRIT School and be studying film and media there if I hadn’t been coming here.”
Similarly, Hannah told us that Unitas showed her that she could make a career out of something that previously had just been an interest. The facilities the Youth Zone offers are vital to both girls. “The big impact is that there are creative spaces here … I think it’s really important to have these creative spaces where we can nurture the talents that we have … I think you don’t really realise that until you enter a place like this where you can really open your eyes.”
Hannah now attends the London Screen Academy in Islington, and Fawziya attends the BRIT School in Croydon. Fawziya continues to come to Unitas after college because “I didn’t have anything to do before coming here… it’s engaging here and the engagement is what pulls people in, and it’s what makes you want to do things.”
They continue to create new projects such as ‘CHATBOX’, a series of video blogs where they discussed issues that affected them and their peers and Fawziya was even selected as one of the winners of last year’s Show and Tell photography competition. Selected from over 22,000 submissions, her submission was featured on over a hundred billboards around the UK! Meanwhile, Hannah has put her film skills into practice in Unitas’ Media Squad, doing all the videography for our recent amateur boxing events.
When asked about how Unitas’ youth workers support them, Fawziya said
“to have someone who believes in you is one thing but to have someone to tell you that you are capable of more than you think and are yet to discover is really important.”
Hannah echoed these sentiments
“The youth workers really push us to become what we can truly be and reach our full potential.”
We asked them to sum up Unitas:
“It’s like a second home. It doesn’t feel like you come here into another school environment, it feels like I’m going home, just with more people! … it’s an environment with a different meaning and a different purpose. Even though it’s got this incredibly homely vibe, it’s still somewhere we are pushed to be our best, and to do whatever we think is possible.”
Real people, real stories
Over 15,800 young people have been members of Unitas since we opened in 2019. These are just some of their stories.
We’re more than a youth centre – we help young people unlock their potential.
