Knights Youth Centre

Who we are

Knights Youth Centre (KYC) is an independent Christian UK registered charity that has been changing young lives since 1936. KYC’s primary ethos is to transform the life of each young person we work with. KYC provides a quality and inclusive youth service for 120-150 young people each week, living on and around the Clapham Park Estate, an area of high social and economic need in Lambeth, London. Young people who attend the club have challenging backgrounds, are suffering from poor educational attainment, drug or alcohol misuse, criminal records, difficult family relationships and dismal employment prospects.

KYC strives to empower these young people into positive and independent futures. KYC achieves this through a weekly programme of supportive relational work, engaging with peer groups, craziness, entrepreneurial support, co-produced services with young people, centre-based activities, school based services and plenty of off-site programmes. Our website has more to tell!

In the last year KYC has:

• Delivered weekly support programmes in two local schools
• Remained active and working with young people during lockdown.
• Worked with local partners to deliver a celebration gala for young people in a top 5 star London Hotel
• Developed an exciting targeted support programme for vulnerable young woman working closely with the council’s Youth Offending Service
• Pre Covid – KYC delivered more than 225 Youth Work evening sessions and three residential holidays annually.
• Become a permanent base for two refugee youth clubs

KYC is currently reviewing a range of options to develop and diversify our service to meet the needs of an increasingly disconnected generation of young people and a very transient population. Some of the options include:

• Enhancing its estate and outreach service
• Greater resident involvement
• Capacity building the core team – including the CPM post!
• Creative use of how our Centre is used during the day and weekends to deliver our aim to be a community hub for children and young people
• Stronger relationships with local businesses

As we are steadily opeing up iour services again, we are aware 2021 promises to be a year of change, challenge and innovation for KYC. We will continue to be instrumental in providing local young people a real and fresh optimism for the future.