Project Casebook: Hoodforts, Positive Activities for Young People Awards, Mojo, Prism Multi Media Project

Hoodforts

Aim To dispel myths about hoodie culture and showcase young people's talents
Funding Includes £2,800 from the Prince's Trust

A group of young entrepreneurs are reclaiming the hoodie and helping to spread positive messages about young people.

The young men from the Mile End Community Project hope their new brand Hoodforts will help turn misconceptions about young people on their head. The name has multiple meanings, explains chief designer Syed Ahmed, 19, including the fact that many young people in Tower Hamlets see their areas or "hoods" as fortresses that they have to protect.

But the name also reflects the "thoughts" young people have about life. "The name sums up a lot of the problems we have in our area and the day-to-day trouble we get into," says Akikur Rahman, 19.

The group has created designs for T-shirts and hoodies that contain positive messages, which they hope will challenge some of the assumptions people make when they see young people. A core group of six to eight young people aged 16 to 21 have been responsible for taking Hoodforts forward.

They worked with London Youth and creative agency Bold Creative and recently took part in the Adobe Youth Voices project, winning first prize for print and design. The team hopes to involve many more young people in making Hoodforts into a viable small business and has gained funding from the Prince's Trust to run a project for eight to 13-year-olds, which will include getting them to come up with designs for Hoodforts.

The designs have already attracted a lot of interest. "People want to know what it says and when they see it says 'I'm going to work towards my dream' they want to buy one," says Akikur. "There is nothing negative in our designs. We know everyone has a dream.

"We want to get our name more recognised and want to get recognised by the community in Tower Hamlets."

Akikur and Syed are both doing business and youth work training. Syed says the project has helped him put a difficult past behind him. "I was in jail and when I came out I wanted to make a change," he says.

It was in jail that youth workers spotted his potential and encouraged him to make the most of his natural talent for drawing and design, providing him with opportunities to use his skills.

He loves seeing other people wearing his deigns: "It lights me up," he says. "I feel really happy."

Positive Activities for Young People Awards

Aim To recognise the efforts of young people in Coventry and help smash negative stereotypes
Funding From Positive Activities for Young People Coventry and the local Community Safety Partnership

About 600 people attended an awards ceremony in Coventry to celebrate the achievements of some truly inspirational young people.

The event was staged by the local Positive Activities for Young People programme in March. One of the key aims was to raise the profile of young people and the contribution they make to community life, explains operational manager Sharon Devine. The awards were publicised through the local council, youth services, youth offending teams and the police.

More than 60 young people were nominated for one of six awards. They were shortlisted by senior managers from youth and community services but the winners were chosen by a panel of young people. "Some of the stuff they'd done was absolutely amazing," says Devine.

About 500 young people were among those at the ceremony at Coventry City football club's Ricoh Arena in March, where awards were presented in a variety of categories including mentoring and volunteering.

The entertainment was provided by young bands and dance groups. Organisations that supported the awards included the local council and Community Safety Partnership, West Midlands Police and the Youth Taskforce. The organisers would like to stage it again next year. "Young people get a disproportionate amount of negative coverage and this was really about trying to dispel that," says Devine.

"They felt their contribution hadn't gone unnoticed and it showed many young people in the audience what they could do and that maybe it could be them getting an award next time."

Mojo

Aim To provide a safe space for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people
Funding Includes support from Warwickshire County Council, Warwick District Council and about £3,000 from the youth opportunity fund

LGBT young people in Warwickshire will be able to access support and advice thanks to a new project.

The Mojo LGBT Youth Group, which is also for those questioning their sexuality, launched in early April. The idea came from young people who told detached youth workers there was a need for more support. They have shaped the project all the way, explains project co-ordinator Craig Tipper.

Mojo will run on Tuesday and Thursday nights and is aimed at young people aged up to 25. A room in a community centre has been revamped to make it a comfortable space for meetings, and regular health and counselling drop-in sessions.

"Young people can find it hard to come out about their sexuality and if they go to a standard youth club can still experience homophobic bullying," says 18-year-old Matt Langsford, who is bisexual and has experienced prejudice around his sexuality in the past. "They can come here and feel safe and know they will fit in."

He believes health and counselling drop-ins are a great idea: "Young people might not feel confident calling to make appointments but knowing they can just turn up will make them more likely to get help."

The youth workers and young people are already helping to establish another group in Rugby. "I'm really proud of what the young people have achieved in such a short space of time," says Tipper. "They deserve a huge amount of credit."

Prism Multi Media Project

Aim To create a multi-media centre and open up new opportunities for young people in Bradford
Funding About £600,000 from the Big Lottery Fund, youth opportunity fund, youth capital fund, Santander Charitable Trust and The Co-operative Community Fund

A brand new multi-media centre featuring state-of-the-art technology will enable young people in Bradford to tap into their creative sides.

The facility was launched in May by the Prism Youth Project, which works with many young people not in education, training and employment. The young people were keen to have a recording studio and other multi-media equipment and were instrumental in getting the project off the ground and applying for funding.

The centre was created in a disused room at Prism's base. It has been transformed into a space that features recording and DJ booths, computer suites, a dance floor and coffee bar. Young people even mucked in to help clear the room and assisted with the building work.

A group of six young people aged 13 to 16 - all not in education, employment or training - have helped drive the project forward. "These are young people who often start something but find it difficult to carry through," says Prism's managing director Paul Craven. "But his time they have started something and seen it through. It has been two years in the making.

"Apart from the things like giving them more confidence and self-esteem, it has shown them they can achieve what they want if they go the right way about it. I am so proud of them."

The future of the project will be decided by a steering group led by young people. The plan is to let other groups of young people use the facilities and at least one school is already interested in using the facilities for GCSE work. Young people will have the chance to get involved in a huge range of creative activities including photography, film-making, drama, dance, singing and MCing, all of which can lead to accredited qualifications.

The first major project will be a DVD for the Mayor of Bradford, which will aim to show the city through young people's eyes. Shohaib Hamza, 15, is looking forward to using the new facilities. His friends have already started creating their own tracks. "The fact that it's all brand new does make a difference," he says. "Young people will like the fact they can use all this specialist equipment and expert stuff."

He believes the centre will attract lots of young people. "I think it's brilliant," he says. "There are a lot of projects to keep young people off the streets but they don't really get to those young people.

"But young people will want to come here and use the studio. This will keep them interested as it's something young people really want to do."