With arts, crafts, and outdoor adventures on your doorstep, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to local events and activities. Along with those listed below, make sure you don’t miss out on new and exciting opportunities by regularly checking our events calendar.
Free or low-cost youth activities and youth support services
The Albany
Website: https://www.thealbany.org.uk/get-involved/youth-programme
Age range: 5-25
Location: Douglas Way, Deptford, SE8 4AG
Lewisham Homes partners with The Albany on a whole range of free creative youth activities and projects, ranging from drama workshops to a record label run by (and for) young people. Visit their website to find out what is on offer or email getinvolved@lewishamhomes.org.uk if you have a particular interest that you don’t see on the list of activities.
Midi Music Company (MMC)
Website: https://www.themidimusiccompany.co.uk/courses
Age range: 11-30
Location: 77 Watson’s Street, Deptford, SE8 4AU (although at present all their courses are run online)
MMC deliver a variety of low-cost creative courses for young people that range from music production to YouTube channel management. They also run a bespoke creative career development programme targeted at young people, helping them turn their dreams of a job in TV, film, music, visual or performing arts into reality. To find out more about this specific programme, visit https://www.themidimusiccompany.co.uk/talent-development
Lewisham Youth Theatre (LYT)
Website: www.lewishamyouththeatre.com
Age range: 3-24
Location: The Broadway Theatre, Catford Broadway, London SE6 4RU
Alongside their regular programme of core youth theatre productions, LYT now offers free drama workshops, education outreach and Saturday morning children’s theatre. From their base at the Broadway Theatre, they provide a thriving centre where young people of all ages participate in theatre at every level.
Youth First
Website: https://www.youthfirst.org.uk/programme
Age range: 8-18
Location: across Lewisham
Youth First is Lewisham Council’s youth services provider. They run a variety of free programmes from a number of free-to-use youth clubs and adventure playgrounds across Lewisham. There is probably a Youth First-run youth club or adventure playground close to where you live! Youth First staff are always happy to try and help. Find the nearest Youth First site to you and their contact information.
Young Lewisham Project (YLP)
Website: https://www.younglewisham.org.uk/programmes.html
Age range: 11-19
Location: 124 Kilmorie Road, Forest Hill, SE23 2SR
YLP do great work providing a range of alternative vocational programmes to young people who are not reaching their full potential in mainstream education. Alongside this, they also run two free open access community groups on Mondays after school (4pm-7pm) and Saturdays (10am-1pm). The groups have a youth club atmosphere with chilling out and chatting as well as work in YLP’s two areas of focus. One of these is bikes: young people who attend can learn to fix up their own bike or be given a bike by YLP which they can fix up and keep. The other focus is fitness: young people who attend workouts in the gym on simple circuit training exercises with a qualified children’s personal trainer and go on regular ride outs. If you know a young person who would like to join YLP, email: info@younglewisham.org.uk for more information on how they can sign up.
Rockbourne Youth Club
Website: www.rycse23.co.uk
Age range: Junior Club 8-11, Senior Club 12-18
Location: 41a Rockbourne Road, Forest Hill, London, SE23 2DA
RYC is a space where you can come with friends, get involved in activities and have fun. You will be encouraged to try out new things, learn new skills, raise your aspirations and explore issues relevant to you and your community. The Senior Club runs every Tuesday from 18.30-20.30pm and the Junior Club runs every Friday from 18.30-20.30pm. Each session costs just £1 to attend.
Grove Park Youth Club (GPYC)
Website: www.groveparkyouthclub.co.uk
Age range: 11-16
Location: Marvels Lane, Grove Park, SE12 9PR
After being closed for eight years, a campaign by local residents has reopened the GPYC for young people this summer, in partnership with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation.
It opens officially on 26 July 2021, when the GPYC will hold an Open Day of activities and consultation (between midday and 5pm), so that young people can let them know what they would like to see at the GPYC. Then every Tuesday and Thursday evening (between 5pm and 7pm), the GPYC will offer free youth club sessions to young people aged 11-16, until the end of the summer holidays.
Circle Collective
Website: https://circlecollective.org/pages/the-circle-story
Age range: 16-21
Location: Lewisham Shopping Centre, Molesworth Street, London SE13 7HB
A social enterprise that tries to break the cycle of young people aged 16-2, not getting work because they don’t have work experience, by them free employability support, wellbeing sessions (including yoga) and work experience in their shop. Actively looking for 16-21-year-olds interested in gaining employment. Visit their website to find out more and sign up for free!
MI Skills Development
Website: https://micomputsolutions.co.uk/youth-programme
Age range: 19-24
Location: across South London
MI offer free personalised traineeships for anyone aged 19-24 in careers ranging from Animal Management to Hairdressing. The only eligibility criteria is that they are between 19-24 and not currently working in the area they would like their traineeship in. Visit their website for more information on the specific traineeships they offer and details on how to apply.
Urban Synergy
Website: www.urbansynergy.com
Age range: 11-18
Location: 2 Lewisham Hill, London SE13 7EJ
Urban Synergy is an early intervention mentoring charity that helps young people between 11-18 years of age reach their full potential. They currently offer a free e-mentoring programme for pupils of schools in Lewisham aged 11-18. Find out more and sign up here.
Kooth
Website: https://www.kooth.com
Age range: 11-25
Location: any young person in Lewisham
Kooth is an anonymous online mental wellbeing service for young people. Kooth has a good reputation among mental health professionals and, thanks to Compass, anyone in Lewisham can access its counselling and mental health services for free. Young people do not need to be referred – they can sign up for free on Kooth’s website – and interactions are entirely over text, which helps young people feel less daunted by asking for help.
Mindkit
Website: www.mindkit.org.uk
Age range: 14-25
Location: across Lewisham
Working with the Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich branch of the charity Mind, Mindkit offers free, interactive Wellbeing and Resilience Sessions to groups of young people, aged 14 to 25, in schools, colleges, universities, youth centres and a range of community organisations. Attendees to Mindkit sessions get a year’s free access to the Headspace app – a mindfulness meditation tool – and strategies boost their mental health resilience.
The AHOY Centre Charity
Website: https://ahoy.org.uk
Age range: 8-18
Location: The AHOY Centre, Borthwick Street, Deptford, London, SE8 3JY
The AHOY Centre is a water sports charity that helps disadvantaged children and young people, as well as people with disabilities to get involved in water sports and team building exercises. They provide activities such as sailing, powerboating, first aid and more. Participants also have the chance to gain qualifications from the Royal Yachting Association and British Rowing. Please visit their website to find out more!
Second Wave Youth Arts
Website: https://secondwave.org.uk/index.php
Age range: 13-25
Location: First Floor, Deptford Mission Building, 1 Creek Road, London, SE8 3BT
Second Wave Youth Arts is an independent charity whose aim is to support and empower young people’s creativity and activism by engaging young people as performers, writers, lyricists and technicians. They continue to develop new productions and youth-led creative outreach projects in the community. Membership is free and some programs may have a small registration fee. Please visit their website for more information!
Contact us
If you don’t see anything here that interests you or the young people you care for, or you know of a youth organisation that should be on this list, please email getinvolved@lewishamhomes.org.uk and we will get back to you.