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The Cage

by Community DevelopmentLondon Borough of BexleyNew ProjectsPeabody Housing

The Cage Summer Programme:
Youth Voice, Art, and Community Impact

This summer, Youth Unity CIC delivered a six-week programme at The Cage in Thamesmead, following strong demand from young people who asked us to return after our first community event in June. Many told us they didn’t feel safe or welcome in the space — but also that they valued the positive, inclusive environment we created.

A Creative Collaboration

Working with C-That.co.uk, the project included a youth-driven art installation. Week after week, young people helped design and paint murals on the outer walls of The Cage, transforming the area into a space they could take pride in. This creative process gave participants a real sense of ownership and visibility.

Consistent Youth Engagement

Over six weeks, we delivered a mix of activities including sports, music recording, podcasting, and gaming. These sessions provided safe, structured alternatives and encouraged young people to return week after week. Attendance was strong across all age groups and backgrounds, showing clear demand for this kind of consistent, positive provision.

What We Found

Our engagement also highlighted some important safeguarding concerns:

  • Many younger children on the estate are often left unsupervised, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and grooming.

  • A significant number of young people have become desensitised to gang culture, seeing it as “just a way of life.”

  • This underlines the urgent need for trusted role models and safe, supportive spaces.

Recognition at the Highest Level

The programme concluded with a visit from the Deputy Mayor of London, who recognised the importance of this work and the value of investing in young people locally. Their presence reinforced that the voices of Thamesmead’s youth matter at both a community and city-wide level.

Impact and Outcomes

  • Reduced community tensions during a sensitive period.

  • Engagement of young people most at risk of anti-social behaviour.

  • Strengthened collaboration with schools, residents, and statutory partners.

  • Increased awareness of key safeguarding issues including vaping, littering, and weapons.

  • Six well-attended sessions that promoted wellbeing, community pride, and ownership of The Cage.

Partnership and Support

This programme was made possible through the ongoing support of Peabody Housing, whose funding and partnership ensure that vital community projects like this can continue to make a difference.

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The Cage

by London Borough of BexleyNew ProjectsPeabody Housing

🏀 The Cage Summer Programme – Empowering Thamesmead Youth

This summer, Youth Unity CIC is returning to The Cage, Thamesmead, for a powerful 6-week outreach programme – built on real feedback from local young people and backed by community support.

After the success of our June 2025 event, we heard loud and clear that many young people avoid The Cage because it doesn’t always feel safe or welcoming. So we’re coming back to change that – together.

🎯 What’s the Goal?

We’re here to make The Cage a place where young people feel safe, included, and proud to be. Through weekly sessions, we’re bringing:

  • 🌱 Positive engagement

  • 🗣️ Trusted role models

  • 🎨 Creative expression

  • 🏀 Fun activities shaped by youth voice

This isn’t just a drop-in programme – it’s part of a long-term commitment to build trust, reduce antisocial behaviour, and help young people reclaim their space.

📍 What’s Happening Each Week?

Every Tuesday | 3:30pm – 6:30pm | The Cage, Thamesmead
From sports and games to creative workshops and mentoring, our outreach van will be on-site with trained youth workers providing support and safe spaces.

🎨 We’re also launching a collaborative mural project with a local artist and Peabody – giving young people a chance to shape the space visually and take ownership in a powerful, visible way.

🌟 What We’re Aiming For:

  • Make The Cage a space where young people feel welcome

  • Offer consistent, trusted presence through experienced youth workers

  • Provide positive alternatives and mentoring

  • Improve wellbeing, connection, and pride in the local area

  • Reduce low-level anti-social behaviour through positive visibility

💬 Why It Matters

Too often, spaces like The Cage become overlooked or underused – not because they lack potential, but because they lack positive, consistent engagement.

This programme is about changing that narrative. With support from Peabody and local partners, we’re creating a platform for youth-led transformation.

🚀 What’s Next?

We’re ready to hit the ground running:

✔️ Staffing and planning underway
✔️ Art mural logistics in progress
✔️ Outreach van and kit on standby
✔️ Local promotion and school outreach launching soon

Together, we’re activating The Cage – not just for the summer, but for the future.Wolve

Commencing: 30th July 2025

The Nest

Cygnet Square – Summer Sessions

by London Borough of BexleyNew ProjectsPeabody Housing

Youth Unity are excited to announce that we are back at The Nest again this summer, offering young people in Thamesmead a safe, welcoming space right in the heart of Cygnet Square.

Every Tuesday from 22nd July to 26th August, our friendly outreach team will be on the square from 1pm to 3:30pm, creating a trusted drop-in space where young people can relax, connect and get involved in positive activities.

Thanks to our strong footprint in the area, we’ve already built great relationships with the local young people and we’re looking forward to strengthening those connections even more this summer.

Young people will be able to enjoy free activities including Xbox & PS5 gaming, basketball hoops, table tennis, arts and crafts — plus plenty of snacks to keep everyone going!

Our goal is simple: to provide a safe space where young people feel heard, supported and inspired to spend their time positively during the summer break.

This is all possible thanks to our ongoing partnership with Peabody and the brilliant community support we’ve had from local residents and families.

When & Where:
📅 Tuesdays, 22nd July – 26th August
🕐 1pm – 3:30pm
📍 Cygnet Square, London SE2 9FA

Together, we’re building safer, stronger communities for young people one session at a time.

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The Cage Thamesmead – SUMMER FUN TIMES

by London Borough of BexleyNew ProjectsPeabody Housing

Following the success of our community event at The Cage in June, we’re excited to announce that Youth Unity will be back in Thamesmead this summer with a brand-new six-week outreach programme and we’ll also be joining the next community event on 4th September.

We heard loud and clear from local young people that The Cage can sometimes feel unsafe or unwelcoming. Many told us they want to see more positive activities happening in the space and we’re here to make that happen through the amazing support from Peabody Housing.

For six weeks over the summer holidays, our outreach team will be at The Cage every Tuesday afternoon. We’ll bring our trusted intervention van to create a safe, welcoming base, and our trained youth workers will be on hand to offer mentoring, support and a listening ear.

Young people will also be able to get involved in informal sports, games, and creative activities shaped by what they want helping build confidence, connection and community pride. One highlight will be a brand-new mural, co-designed with a local artist and young people themselves, to transform the walls of The Cage into something they can own and be proud of.

This is about more than just summer fun it’s about giving young people a reason to return, feel safe and welcome, and have a say in what their community looks like.

Together, we’re turning The Cage into a place where young people feel they belong. We can’t wait to see you there.

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Men in Sheds, Erith

by Arts & CultureLondon Borough of Bexley

Podcasting in the community of Erith. Delivered in partnership with Bexley Community Safety Partnership. Interviews include some key people from the local area of Erith.

Podcasting has become a popular way of addressing topics. It has become an important tool in communication. Podcasting can promote important discussions in a safe and comfortable environment. Many platforms that focus on podcasting as a medium are reaching audiences that were previously hard to attract.

Youth unity have used podcasting as a positive way of teaching young people that communicating effectively and raising awareness about topics that affect your immediate surroundings are a good way of creating change. 

The core focus of using podcasting as a medium is to enable people of all ages to share the experience of talking together irrespective of age, gender or ability. The outcomes are measured in the recordings and can be an effective way of bridging the gaps in our communities. 

The other benefits of using podcasting with young people is that it provides them with a new skill set that can be transferred into every aspect of their lives. Communication is the key to almost every career and the better you are at it the more opportunities are available. 

This podcast is working with AgedUk, based in Erith.  Whereby they run an amazing project called “Men in Sheds”.   The young people had some great questions to ask with some interesting thought provoking answers.  

https://www.meninshedsbexley.com/

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Young People of Erith

by Bexley Community Safety PartnershipLondon Borough of BexleyPoint of View

Through the outreach work we do on a weekly basis, we have the opportunity to meet a variety of different people that live and commute into the community. Through these engagements we have successfully established some firm relationships with people of all ages.

We have also built a reasonably good relationship with many of the youth that live in this catchment.

Many of these young people have gone onto partake in a number of additional projects that have been initiated within the Erith area.

Through this engagement we have supported three young men in particular. These young men, were invited to be part of our project “Project Point of View” a project sponsored by the property developers Dominvs.

We are confident that the summer of 2022 will hold many treasured memories for the young men that took part.

The young men from Bexley are always enthusiastic and a pleasure to work with. They often visit us on our regular outreach provision.

During the summer they able visited spaces such as the US Embassy, high end apartments, constructions sites and even had the opportunity to interview the CEO of the Dominvs group in a scheduled podcast.

For the group the highlight was a five day residential in Cornwall where they all took part in water rafting, paddle boarding, canoeing and they even jumped from twenty foot cliffs to overcome their fear of water and other limiting beliefs they had.

Two of the young men could not swim before the residential, and had a fear of water in general.

Successfully all of the group overcame their fears of water and took part in some of the most challenging activities involving water.

The transformation for these three young men and the wider group was amazing to witness and share with them. They also established life long relationships created by the intense team work and support they offered each other over the days away from their homes and their natural environments.

The overall project will have a long lasting impact on their lives and will promote a better understanding of how they can overcome challenges now and in their futures.

Projects such as the outreach in Erith is proof that being on the streets and meeting the people in the community at a grassroots level really does have an impact.

“touching people’s hearts through your work is the only job that you could do and nobody has to hire you for it.”

Youth Unity works to provide opportunities to young people. This is all made possible meeting local people and opening frank and honest conversations.

More information can be found on this link ...

The Boys representing Erith

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Podcasting in the Community of Erith

by Arts & CultureBexley Community Safety PartnershipLondon Borough of Bexley

Podcasting in the community of Erith. Delivered in partnership with Bexley Community Safety Partnership. Interviews include some key people from the local area of Erith.

The podcasts are available to listen back to on our YUPOD via major platforms such as Spotify, iTunes.

Podcasting has become a popular way of addressing topics. It has become an important tool in communication. Podcasting can promote important discussions in a safe and comfortable environment. Many platforms that focus on podcasting as a medium are reaching audiences that were previously hard to attract.

Youth unity have used podcasting as a positive way of teaching young people that communicating effectively and raising awareness about topics that affect your immediate surroundings are a good way of creating change. 

The core focus of using podcasting as a medium is to enable people of all ages to share the experience of talking together irrespective of age, gender or ability. The outcomes are measured in the recordings and can be an effective way of bridging the gaps in our communities. 

The other benefits of using podcasting with young people is that it provides them with a new skill set that can be transferred into every aspect of their lives. Communication is the key to almost every career and the better you are at it the more opportunities are available. 
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This podcast is working with AgedUk, based in Erith.  Whereby they run an amazing project called “Men in Sheds”.   The young people had some great questions to ask with some interesting thought provoking answers.  

https://www.meninshedsbexley.com/
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Bexley Outreach Service

Violence Reduction Community Outreach in Erith

by London Borough of BexleyMentoringOutreach

The Objectives

Better safeguard young people from harm and exploitation

Create a safe place in the heart of the community or those at risk and build trusted relationships

Working in partnership to signpost young people to existing youth providers

The Opportunity

Enhance vulnerable ‘client focus’ in line with their specific needs

Improve joint overall ‘client focus’ approach

Improve overall systems safeguarding responses

Build trusting and empowering relationships with young people in the local community

Identify opportunities to improve future safeguarding service provision for local Schools, affected young people and communities.

Youth Unity Outreach in Bexley

Useful contacts

A charity that finds free legal assistance from volunteer barristers for persons unable to afford a lawyer and not eligible for legal aid. Specific eligibility criteria must be satisfied – case-by-case basis. Complete application form online here.​

a registered charity working in London Borough of Bexley to provide effective support for vulnerable young people aged 8-17; who are experiencing a crisis or ongoing problems, which can include material or emotional deprivation, physical, emotional or sexual abuse, social
isolation, bullying, or the effects of dysfunctional family life. They may have a caring role within the
family to a parent or sibling with disability or life illness

A MARAC is a regular local meeting to discuss how to help victims at high risk of serious harm. MARAC brings together representatives from a number of agencies in Bexley to discuss the safety, health and well-being of people experiencing domestic abuse (and their children). All professionals should have access to a nominated domestic
abuse lead who is trained in completing a domestic abuse stalking, harassment and honour-based
violence risk identification checklist (DASH). Email <a href=”mailto:MARAC@bexley.gov.uk”>MARAC@bexley.gov.uk</a> with any enquires.

Weekend/overnight residential opportunities and community based 1:1 support for young people at the risk of criminal activity, gang related, sexual exploitation, knife crime and recidivism. Early help and prevention .

Child and young person mental health services.
Call 0203 260 5200​

If you have any concerns about a child, please contact Children’s Services in the first instance. Call Children’s Services at the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 020 3045 5440 and speak to a social worker
Call:- 020 83037777
020 8303 7171
Address: Civic Offices, 2 Watling Street, Bexleyheath DA6 7AT

If you have any concerns about a child, please contact Children’s Services in the first instance. Call Children’s Services at the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 020 3045 5440 and speak to a social worker
Call:- 020 83037777
020 8303 7171
Address: Civic Offices, 2 Watling Street, Bexleyheath DA6 7AT

Mind Bexley: If you are experiencing mental distress, Mind in Bexley can help with services such as advocacy, befriending, information, psychological support services and counselling. Call them on
02083035 816
or visit their get help page.​

A partnership led by the local voluntary sector (Bexley Moorings
Project, Porchlight and Bexley Voluntary Services Council (BVSC)) with the Bexley Children’s
safeguarding partnership Shield have come together to create, promote and support a parent/carer champion network for parents of young people aged 11 – 24 who are at risk of going missing, exploitation, gang affiliation and running county lines in Bexley. The aim is to provide a safe space for parents and carers who may be isolated; frustrated and lonely; seeking the right support and understanding with the issues they and their family face. This will be done through establishing a clear pathway to support, giving a voice and promoting the issues being faced to the wider community in
order to improve everyone’s future.
For further info or to access the survey in a different format please contact Anne Bennett, Bexley Moorings Project on <br>0208 304 960.

Bexley TYS provides advice and guidance at the earliest opportunity to our vulnerable young people who face, or are at risk of exploitation, family violence, parental mental ill health, substance misuse, being excluded from school or at risk of school exclusion, involvement in crime or anti-social behaviour.
Call 020 83037777
and ask for Youth Services.

Emotional support for families and friends bereaved through murder or manslaughter. Listening support is provided by volunteers who have lost a loved one through murder or manslaughter. Regional one to one telephone support.
Call 0845 872 3440.

If you have any concerns about a child, please contact Children’s Services in the first instance. Call Children’s Services at the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 020 3045 5440 and speak to a social worker
Call:- 020 83037777
020 8303 7171
Address: Civic Offices, 2 Watling Street, Bexleyheath DA6 7AT

Solace Women’s Aid is appointed by the London Borough of Bexley to provide vital domestic abuse services in the borough. Solace offers free advice and support to women, children and men in London to build safe and strong lives. Futures free from abuse and violence. Their community service will deliver a specialist domestic abuse service that provides a One-Stop Shop IDVA service for high-risk cases, an outreach service for media risk cases and resilience-building group programmes. Their aim is that all women, children and men affected by abuse are given the specialist support needed to build safer lives and stronger futures.

For safeguarding concerns and support relating to adults, contact Bexley Council on 0208 3037 777
(Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm) and ask for ‘screeners’ or email <a href=”mailto:screeners@bexley.gov.uk”>screeners@bexley.gov.uk</a>

A support service for people representing themselves in the legal process in London courts.  Can provide someone to talk to and attend court with victims, explain the court process, help clients to fill in paperwork, etc. Note they cannot act as representative or give legal advice.
Call 0300 081 0006

An online platform for adults’ mental health and wellbeing to speak with professional counsellors and communities about common issues.

Works with children and young people from the moment they experience or witness a crime, until the time when they and their worker feel they no longer need our support. They focus on reducing risk while increasing protective factors and resilience levels. Call 0808 1689 111
or request support online here.​

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LOGO (2)

The Cage

The Cage Summer Programme: Youth Voice, Art, and Community Impact This summer, Youth Unity CIC delivered a six-week programme at The Cage in Thamesmead, following strong demand from young...

The Cage

🏀 The Cage Summer Programme – Empowering Thamesmead Youth This summer, Youth Unity CIC is returning to The Cage, Thamesmead, for a powerful 6-week outreach programme – built on...

Cygnet Square – Summer Sessions

Youth Unity are excited to announce that we are back at The Nest again this summer, offering young people in Thamesmead a safe, welcoming space right in the heart of...

The Cage Thamesmead – SUMMER FUN TIMES

Following the success of our community event at The Cage in June, we’re excited to announce that Youth Unity will be back in Thamesmead this summer with a brand-new...

Men in Sheds, Erith

Podcasting in the community of Erith. Delivered in partnership with Bexley Community Safety Partnership. Interviews include some key people from the local area of Erith. Podcasting has become a...

Young People of Erith

Through the outreach work we do on a weekly basis, we have the opportunity to meet a variety of different people that live and commute into the community. Through...

Podcasting in the Community of Erith

Podcasting in the community of Erith. Delivered in partnership with Bexley Community Safety Partnership. Interviews include some key people from the local area of Erith. The podcasts are available...

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Christmas Fun Afternoon in Erith

by Bexley Community Safety PartnershipLondon Borough of Bexley

Youth Unity hosted a special community Christmas event at the Exchange in the heart of Erith in partnership with Bexley Community Safety Partnership. Also joined on the day by Act for Change and Bexley Moorings who work to support families in the area.

The event had a real sense of community, with cake and old fashioned triangle sandwiches, free refreshments and goodie bags for all the children, games and some dancing. Young people including parents got involved making paper stars which was led by Act for Change. The highlight was our grotto which made a real centre piece for Christmas, the community from all backgrounds got involved.

Through our outreach work we have connected with various members of the community who came along to enjoy the afternoon, despite to cold weather! Christina who is singing on the video is a 13 year old young girl, who clearly has an amazing voice and pretty sure she will go on to do great things.

The Exchange in Erith is a community space for everyone and this event gave the opportunity for the community to come along and be part of something positive.

Working in unity to bring people from all backgrounds and ages together!

HEYY Shirley, i just wanted to say that me and my sister had a wonderful time on Saturday, it was very nice and peaceful a lot of people had fun and I liked it aswell, you guys will be missed for the longest time until next year, erith is gonna miss youth unity, see you after Christmas 🎄!!

feedback from one of the young people who attended