Over 300 local young people enjoy youth service showcase at The Valley

More than 300 young people from across Royal Greenwich attended Young Greenwich Day on Saturday, October 14th.

The event at The Valley was held to introduce young people to Young Greenwich, the youth service Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) runs on behalf of the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

The programme of events included singing from Rhianna Smith from Eltham, dance performances from My Tribe Dance Academy and Greenwich Dance, and DJ workshops run by the Young Urban Arts Foundation, all of whom are partners of Young Greenwich.

All of the activities found in Young Greenwich’s youth hubs were on display, too. There was badminton, soft archery, inflatable football, pedal-powered Scalextric with CACT’s Health Improvement team, DJ workshops and FIFA 18 competitions to take part in.

The young people in attendance then made the most of free tickets to watch Charlton beat Doncaster Rovers 1-0 thanks to Tariqe Fosu’s early strike.

Jeannette Harrison, CACT Head of Youth Services, said: “Young Greenwich Day was a brilliant example of local partners coming together to provide an amazing experience for young people in the borough. 

“It’s the kind of thing Young Greenwich tries to do on a day to day basis; encouraging local young people to try new activities, make new friends and broaden their horizons.”

Councillor Denise Hyland, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, visited the activities and spoke to the crowd before the game about the support of local young people for the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s bid to be London Borough of Culture.

Cllr Hyland said: “Inclusivity is at the heart of our bid to become London’s Borough of Culture, so it was great to hear from some of the younger members of our community on Young Greenwich Day. And as all Charlton fans know, the Valley is one of our Borough’s cultural highlights!”

CACT’s recent Impact Report found that every £1 spent in the youth service created £7.83 worth of value for young people and the local community.

Young Greenwich provides over 70 sessions each week, allowing youngsters a space to meet, try their hand at sports and arts, discover their local area and much more.

For the 4,500 regular attendees to these sessions, the emphasis is on having fun and broadening horizons.

To find out more about Young Greenwich and see all the videos and pictures from Saturday’s events, please visit www.young-greenwich.org.uk

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