As I arrived just past 6pm I wondered if the hall space had been set-up in enough time for our 6:30pm start.
When I walked in, I saw John (our young volunteer) walking towards me away from the hall. Looking through, I could see that it was all set-up and ready to go; I should have known that it would be. John was always on time and present.
Between 2015 and 2016, John was one of the local young people and families we had met. He attended a local secondary school and he would often connect with us through outreach, seasonal events and schools work on the Hale Village and Ferry Lane estates.
This was in the time when we were working towards the opening of The Engine Room on Hale Village.
Whilst out on outreach, I often remember thinking about those initial conversations and interaction; how they sometimes felt awkward as there would be a moment where we struggled to connect. There was not much we had in common, except an interest in the community of Tottenham.
On the local sports pitches, we would join young people in playing basketball or football; we ran pop up cafes at the local park and at times caught up with them as they walked by, to see how their days or weeks had gone.
We gradually developed programs that ran in our small temporary room, doubling as a space for the community to use.
As our permanent home on the Hale Village state was being built, we wouldn’t realise that at that point the relationships we were developing would lead to seeing John and other young people volunteering years later.
Relationship is at the centre of what we have done and continue to do. It has lead to strong relationships being built and people coming in to The Engine Room to spend time together.
Here we are then, and now John is part of the volunteer team, being a positive influence on their peers. John is now a University student but is also keen to assist with promoting new programmes, rounding up the lads and sometimes pops in to youth club from time to time to hangout.
Compact youth club runs every Thursday, 6.30pm to 9.00pm at St Francis at the Engine Room. It provides a space for young people to socialise, develop life skills and receive support with improving their employability skills. It is open to all between 14 – 18 years old with pizza, games, careers support guidance & mentoring.
Since it’s very start it’s been generously funded by the Lee Valley Estates (LVE) Foundation, the charitable arm of the developers of the estate that our church is build on.
The Engine Room is a space for everyone where on a weekly basis so much takes place for all age and stages: Tots groups, Yoga, Arts Club, Friday Prayers for the local Muslim community, Homework Club and much more.
