Young people taking the lead on Seven Kings Community Hub

The Community Hub team has kicked off its youth co-design process providing young people with a stronger voice on the design of the Seven Kings Community Hub. The 10–16-year-olds from across the Seven Kings wards are taking part in workshops until May. These will take place in a variety of locations including on the site of the Seven Kings Hub, the Town Hall and Redbridge Central Library.

The exciting co-design process will see young people inputting into designs, meeting councillors to learn about representation, and understanding the role of a Council and public servants in the democratic process. The youth insight and input will be used to inform the planning for the Seven Hubs Hub and ensure there are spaces for young people to use.

14-year-old Seven Kings resident Mohamed Tei Selmane said: “The co-design process has been interesting and we’ve worked on a diverse range of things. It’s really good to be part of something big, and to know that you're doing something for yourself and the community. I’ve appreciated being able to speak directly to the architects and people who will be able to affect change and design the hub, rather than have my voice communicated to them via someone else.”

The young people will also be flexing their creativity and producing videos of their experience of living in Redbridge and get the opportunity to showcase them. The group will explore how they can be involved in the area moving forward.

10-year-old Yusuf Muvarak said: “It’s been good to get an insight into the Hub and what it will be like, as well as to help plan it. I want to be an architect when I'm older, so it was useful to speak to the architects who gave us an insight into what they do. I learnt from them and now better understand important information about architecture.”