All Aboard the Youth Bus

Young people from the CAM Estate in Cricklewood enjoyed a trip aboard the “Equipped to Go” youth bus organised by Brent Housing Partnership’s (BHP) Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Team.

The double-decker bus, owned by Brent Youth Service, is a mobile resource centre specifically designed for young people equipped with plasma screens, a state of the art computer suite and a leather lounge area for chilling out.

The youth bus is part of many activities planned for young people on the CAM estate. It follows a consultation with young people on the estate in response to reports of anti-social behaviour from youths in the area.

The youth bus session was very well attended, in fact it was at its full capacity. Young people enjoyed activities including a drugs education workshop, consultation on a youth website, internet access, revisit of the consultation event that took place on 7 June and information about other activities in the borough for young people

After a discussion with the group about their activity preferences for the next six months, they decided on weekly music workshops and a personal development programme on youth crime and being aware of rights and responsibilities. They also decided on Go Karting as a trip for the next holidays.

Sandra Royer, director of housing management said: “Following complaints from residents about anti-social behaviour from young people in the area, our ASB Team were keen to engage with our young residents to deter them from anti-social behaviour, and provide activities that they would find enjoyable and fulfilling. The youth bus is an appealing resource to encourage young people to get involved and it proved to be a huge success. This is the first of many youth initiatives that our ASB Team will be running in partnership with Brent Youth Service.”