Oasis St. Martin Village is intended to be the first of many where at-risk youths can receive monitoring and other assistance.
In September, one of the first girls’ schools in the UK will reopen as the first series of youth hubs for young people at risk of dropping out of school and turning to crime.
The girls’ high school, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, in Tulse Hill, South London, will be converted to Oasis St Martin’s Village, which will provide one-on-one therapeutic care and monitoring for young people in danger of being excluded.
The idea originated with Steve Chalke, the founder of the Oasis Charitable Trust, which operates 54 schools and works in impoverished areas around the nation. Chalke expressed his hope for the government’s Young Futures program, which aims to establish a network of youth hubs nationwide.
Chalke is currently engaged in four further projects at different phases of development in north London, Saltford, Grimsby, and Wirral. He stated, “Just like the new government, we think the poorest youth should be worthy of the greatest attention.” “The best way to inform that process is to start ahead of the policy and details and funding being worked on and finalized.”
St Martin-in-the-fields, founded in 1699, announced last year that it would be closing due to a decrease in student enrollment. Prime Minister Keir Stammer stated that he was committed to reducing crime and that he would intervene early to prevent teenagers from being swept on the escalator to prison.
Labour promised in its manifesto to “create a new Young Futures with a network of hubs reaching every community and intervening earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime.” To support young people’s mental health and prevent them from being involved in crime, these hubs will have a career counselor, youth workers, and mental health support workers on hand.
Youth hubs, also known as “Sure Start for teenagers,” were a significant suggestion from the Commission on Young Lives, which Anne England’s Children’s Commissioner leads.
According to Chalke, Oasis St. Martin Village will collaborate with the neighborhood schools, parents, and families experiencing difficulties related to the crisis in terms of behavior, exclusion, special education needs, mental health, and school attendance.
The hubs will provide rehabilitation, mentoring, enrichment activities in sports, music, agriculture, dance, and art, as well as literacy and numeracy instruction.
“We have to start teaching the way the child learns if they cannot learn the way we teach. In this sense, learning becomes enjoyable, according to Chalke. The issue of school attendance is not something that can be addressed individually or resolved by randomly pulling a few policy levers. Instead, it is a systematic problem. Every aspect of a child’s existence is significant.
Therefore, in addition to the statutory services, Oasis St. Martin’s will collaborate with families, the local community, and grassroots organizations. We believe that the community’s volunteers and citizens’ influence will be of huge value.
