Every Thursday, the doors open at My Place.
A free youth club for young people in Harold Hill — chess, games and music, in a warm room with trusted adults always on hand.
Somewhere to go, every Thursday, that costs nothing.
Ask young people in Harold Hill what they need and the answer comes back quickly: somewhere to go. Somewhere warm and welcoming, where they aren't moved on and don't need money to join in. My Place is our answer to that — a proper youth club, in a building, open the same afternoon every week.
Getting older changes things quickly. Friendship groups shift, more time gets spent out and about without an adult nearby, and the pull of whatever everyone else is doing gets stronger. It's exactly the point where the right room, and the right people in it, make an enormous difference.
So the offer is simple. Come after school, play chess, shoot some pool, get your hands on the decks, and talk to someone if you want to. Our team is there for the whole two hours — not supervising from the side, but playing, listening and getting to know everyone by name.
My Place sits alongside our detached work. On Tuesdays our workers are out in Central Park meeting young people where they already are. On Thursdays there's a door they can walk through instead — the same trusted faces, indoors, with something to do.
Young people we meet in the park are welcome at the club, and young people at the club can be referred on to one-to-one mentoring if they want more support.
Three things to do, and someone to talk to.
The room is set up so there's something for everyone — whether a young person wants to be in the middle of things or take a quieter corner. Nothing has to be signed up for. Move between them however you like.
Learn and play
Never touched a board, or already know your openings? Either way there's a game waiting. Our volunteers teach the basics, play alongside, and run friendly matches across the term.
- Focus, patience and thinking ahead
- Beginners taught from scratch
- Friendly ladder for anyone who wants one
Fun and friends
Pool, table games and group activities that get people talking. Most friendships at our clubs start over a game rather than an introduction — which is exactly why this is the busiest corner of the room.
Chill and create
Decks, headphones and the chance to listen, mix and make something. For a lot of young people this is the highlight of the week, and the first time they've had their hands on proper kit.
Trusted adults on hand
Experienced, DBS-checked youth workers are in the room for every session. Sometimes that means helping sort out a fallout between friends. Sometimes it's just being a familiar adult who remembers your name and asks how school went.
Same place, same time, every week.
at My Place
343 Dagnam Park Drive, Harold Hill — look for the Youth Unity team.
Strictly a registration session.
We cap numbers so every young person gets proper attention from our team and the room stays calm. Every place must be pre-registered — we can't admit anyone at the door, and spaces are limited.
- RegisterTwo minutes online, or scan the QR code on our poster.
- Come backOnce registered, you're welcome every Thursday.
- AskParents, carers and schools can get in touch any time.
One-to-one mentoring, run separately.
The Thursday club is one half of what this funding pays for. The other is dedicated one-to-one mentoring for young people who need more than a weekly session — booked and delivered separately, on its own referral route.
Sustained 1:1 support
Regular one-to-one time with a mentor who is a trusted, familiar face locally — paced to the young person rather than run as a fixed course. It goes at the speed the young person sets, and lasts as long as it needs to.
How a young person joins
Mentoring is arranged directly with our team, not through the Thursday registration form. Schools, the police and local services can refer, and parents, carers and young people can approach us themselves.
- Email or call to start a conversation
- No cost to the young person or family
- Separate from club registration
Backed by the VRU and Havering Council.
Their investment covers both strands — the Thursday club and the one-to-one mentoring alongside it — and keeps every place free of charge.
A free weekly club doesn't happen on goodwill alone. It takes a room, equipment, and experienced workers who are there week after week. The same is true of mentoring, where the value is in someone turning up for a young person over months rather than once. Consistency is the whole point, and consistency has to be paid for.
Funding from the Mayor of London's Violence Reduction Unit and the London Borough of Havering means no family is ever asked for a subs fee, and no young person is left out because Thursday is a tight week at home.
Attendance and outcomes across both strands are tracked and reported alongside our funders, aligned to Havering and VRU frameworks, so the impact is clear and shared.
From an open door to a place you belong.
- Somewhere warm and free to go after school
- Two hours of positive, supervised activity
- Trusted adults on hand if something's wrong
- New friendships outside school year groups
- Real skills — chess, mixing, teamwork
- Confidence to speak up and join in
- A route into mentoring for those who want more
- Less time in situations that carry risk
- Young people who trust that services turn up
Know a young person who'd love this? Register them today.
Spaces are limited and go quickly. Parents, carers, schools and services — if you've got a question before you book, just call or email and we'll talk it through.