It’s an exciting time for young people, youth workers and the Brighton Youth Centre (BYC) team as they watch their renovated and extended youth hub take shape. Building work is progressing at pace and you can now see the structure of what will become a state-of-the-art youth facility. After a long journey, young people, will soon have their new dream youth centre. Building works are on track to be completed early September 2025 ready for decoration and fit out, with an official opening date of Saturday 25 October which will coincide with the launch of this year's B.Fest programme (the annual youth arts festival). The next challenge is to fundraise for furniture and equipment to make the building come to life.
The rebuilding and extension have been made possible through a multi-million investment from the UK Government’s Youth Investment Fund (£4.3Million) and Brighton and Hove City Council (£2.3Million).
The west side of the Brighton Youth Centre building has been demolished and rebuilt. The building work included relocating the entrance onto the corner of Edward Street and an outdoor space has been created at the back. The team are now working on major renovations and internal refitting, including installing an accessible lift. The building’s exciting new shape is designed, detailed and project managed by ALTER working with Sunninghill Construction.
Mike Roe, CEO for Brighton Youth Centre said:
“It’s a very exciting moment for BYC, after a long time in planning and some obstacles along the way, you can really start to envisage our exciting new home. We’ve reached a significant milestone as the building work storms along. There’s a lot to celebrate and look forward to. Our building development is important for the whole city, including the thousands of young people that will reap the benefits, alongside the youth team, volunteers and the many other partner projects that we work with. Huge thanks are due to our funders, ALTER and Sunninghill Construction, and all the young people whose ideas are at the heart of our new youth centre’s design.”
“As we look forward to our building’s completion, we have another roller-coaster journey ahead to fundraise for everything else we need to make our dream youth centre come to life. We need another £500,000 to pay for the furniture, decorations and equipment that will make our dream space a reality. We are confident that businesses and individuals in our community will be inspired to support us and can see the huge potential of investing in young people and our vibrant city.”
There’s a specific page on the BYC website with details of how to donate - https://www.brightonyouthcentre.org.uk/donate
Brighton Youth Centre has played a significant role in supporting the region’s young people since 1917. Young people love BYC, it’s a safe space, a chance to make new friends, be yourself and not have to worry about judgment. Along with amazing activities like music, drama, arts, gaming and the only indoor skateboard park in the city, BYC connects to other services including mental health, LGBTQI+ and refugee support, making BYC a special and unique space in the heart of the city.
Over 70 young people helped shaped BYC’s project design, bringing youth voice and creativity front and centre. There is a real sense of youth owning the space, sharing ideas for safety and inclusivity, accessibility, expanding the range of services and activities offered onsite to include pathways to employability, wellbeing, and health. Over the coming months young people will breathe life into the centre’s fixtures, fittings and internal look and feel.
One of the young people at BYC said:
“My favourite part of the week is coming to BYC, having a conversation with the youth workers and interacting with all the activities put on for the day. I enjoy making new friends and having a space that really feels like my own, where I can really be myself and not have to worry about judgement.”
Prior to securing funding for a major renovation and extension, BYC’s building on Edward Street was in urgent need of repair, and did not have a lift, making it inaccessible to many people. Transforming the youth centre had been a dream in the making for seven years. Once complete the new style BYC will be a fully accessible and sustainable place, designed around young people’s needs and ideas.
It’s hoped that the new youth centre will be open seven days a week. Having a bigger and accessible space will mean that even more young people will have exciting opportunities to improve wellbeing, develop interpersonal skills, grow in confidence, explore their identity, and find a voice. When it opens its doors in October 2025, the new BYC space will be able to support 3000 young people from across the city and will generate great opportunities for work and volunteering.
Once complete BYC will have a vast array of spaces and activities on offer, including a new indoor skatepark, a performance space, digital hub, a café and social space, GP, counselling and therapy rooms, and a refurbished gym for five a side football, basketball, dance and other sporting activities. The hub will also include space for offices and rooms for BYC staff and existing and new partner organisations, creating a city-wide hub for youth projects in Brighton and Hove. Plus, lots of space for self-expression and socialising and some unfinished areas where young people can create murals.
Whilst building work is underway, young people are not missing out on the BYC experience. BYC has rented a space at 94 Gloucester Road in the centre of Brighton, where they continue to offer the young people of the city with a wide range of activities.
To find out more about BYC’s new youth centre and to support its fundraising please check out the website page: https://www.brightonyouthcentre.org.uk/donate
Distributed by Pressat
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