WHITEHAWK

The Background to the Work  

Information about the area

The Crew Club provides services for young people aged 11-25 on the Whitehawk Estate and in surrounding areas of East Brighton such as Manor Farm.

The Whitehawk Estate is situated in the East Brighton Ward of the City of Brighton and Hove in a valley largely separated by hills from the rest of the City to the West and lying to the North of the more prosperous Kemp Town area of the City and the Marina Development.

The East Brighton Ward is one of the 10% most deprived wards in England (DETR Index of Deprivation, 2000), hence the selection of East Brighton Ward to form part of the 10-year East Brighton NDC regeneration programme.

Statistics from the eb4U delivery plan for East Brighton (1999) include:

• 48% of households receive income support
• 73.9% of households receive housing benefit
• 83.5% of households receive Community Tax Benefit
• JSA claimant levels are high
• 20.6% of the working population are full time working (Btn /Hove: 34%)
• 56% of adults have a formal qualification (Btn /Hove: 87%)
• Over 50% of households contain a smoker
• Higher than average mortality rates for heart disease, stroke and cancer
• Drug, alcohol and related mental health problems are higher than average

East Brighton experiences high levels of crime and anti-social behaviour and local people express deep concern about this. 1999 research revealed that recorded crime was 128.1 incidents per 10,000 population, (98/10,000 average in England) though police estimated that 6 out of 7 crimes in East Brighton were not reported, racial harassment cases and emergency service call outs were each double the Brighton and Hove City rates and levels of vandalism including arson attacks were high.

Some success has been achieved in reducing some of these figures with the help of the NDC programme with reported crime down by as much as 12% overall in East Brighton, though the high base levels indicate the underlying severity of the issues.

Engaging with and diverting young people at risk of offending and reducing and dealing effectively with anti-social behaviour is a major priority for the East Brighton Community Safety Team as part of its Safer East Brighton Service Level Agreement

What people have said about the Club

Police Sergeant, Tony Lumb, Sussex Police.

“ The government can pass new laws and pour money into an area, but for a community to succeed change has to come from within, from genuine people who are prepared to make a difference. The work of the Crew Club epitomises all that is good in Whitehawk. The tireless efforts of the club have made it a model of excellence. The unconditional love and support shown to young people and the reciprocal respect have created a club to be proud of. ”

Stuart Johnson – Brighton and Hove Youth Support Service: presenting the awards to young people achieving silver and gold Youth Achievement Awards.

“ In January I asked the Crew Club if they would be interested in piloting the New Brighton and Hove Youth Awards Scheme, I was very pleased that they agreed as we have a long history of positive partnership work.

 I am amazed how the Crew Club have taken on the Awards and how many young people have achieved Bronze, Silver and even Gold Youth Awards certificates ”

Rosalind Turner: Assistant Director, Children Families and Schools, Brighton and Hove City Council.

“ We are right behind the Crew Club and will support you as much as we can in your future work including the new building.”

John Mitchell, eb4U Community Safety Team Leader

“ There is no doubt that the intervention and support work undertaken by the Crew Club with local young people has had a significant impact on some of the key outcomes being achieved"

including:

• 25% reduction in recorded crime
• year on year reductions in the numbers of young offenders in the area
• Increasing feelings of safety among the community ( as measured by MORI)
• Reduced feelings of fear with regard to young people ( as measured by MORI)

"Our Youth Inclusion Project has benefited greatly from its links with the Crew Club and the diversionary activities it has offered . The club has also made a significant contribution to social cohesion in the area, bringing together parts of the community that might not otherwise meet. For example, events involving older community members have been extremely effective in breaking down barriers and dispelling myths about the behaviour of young people in Whitehawk"

"Further , the BB Bun Amnesty demonstrated the ability of the Crew Club to act as the driver and focal point for a community led initiative that was supported by a wide range of stakeholders and services"

"I am pleased to be able to support the club and to cite it as an outstanding example of good practice in meeting the needs of young people in a deprived neighbourhood.”

Nigel Jenner, Director, Brighton and Hove Youth and Community Support Service

“The Crew Club is an important piece of work that plays a significant role in the development and delivery of provision for young people in Whitehawk. It is firmly rooted in voluntary action by local people , inspired by an instinctive nurturing and caring attitude towards young people. Since it has began it has developed it’s work both in delivering youth work programmes and in developing and delivering work in partnership with a range of other services within the local authority including the YOT , Secondary Education providers and Family Support Services . The Crew Club has developed a positive partnership in all of this work and an alternative approach to supporting the diverse needs of young people in the area".

"The facilities needed to continue to deliver and develop the work are impressively contained in the new plans and the new site will be a benefit to many young people and a new venue which will enable a range of services to young people to develop. The new centre can play an integral part in the development of the Local Authorities’ development including the Integrated Family Support Strategy and the development of the Children’s Trust"

"The last four years have seen a dramatic change in the ability to respond to the needs of young people and the development of the new building will continue to support these developments. The Youth Support Service is actively continuing to support the Crew Club and its development and is committed to furthering this partnership in the future"

Nigel Lewis, Brighton and Hove City Youth Offending Team:

“ Brighton and Hove Youth Offending Team is fully supportive of the development of the Crew Club and the range of the excellent work undertaken there, this is poetically so in that many excluded young people access the Crew Club how are not engaged with any other service providers. An increasing focus on training and educational achievement has been developed, as well as linking very affectively with the Positive Activities Scheme promoting the new youth awards"

 "From a Y.O.T perceptive we would want to maintain and de3vlop partnership working to work with the most challenging and prolific offenders locally, to offer more constructive use of their leisure time and to provide alternatives to further offending”

Graham Maunders, Project Director, eb4U (East Brighton NDC Programme)

“ I am delighted to say that yesterday the eb4U Steering Group voted yes to the Crew Club’s request for capital funding of £903,000 pounds towards the new building. The process still has to go before the Board and then to the Region at GOSE, but I am hoping that it will continue to succeed and that next year when we have this celebration of your next achievements, this might be able to take place in your new building”

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