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Onside Promotional Event at The Guildhall

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Onside Promotional Event at The Guildhall

by Alex Smith –Slatton

 

Last Thursday saw an evening for Onside at The Guildhall, promoting the charity and its work to members of the business community.

Onside is a charity organisation established in 2008 by Bill Holroyd. Their main goal is to help create youth zones all over the UK: a youth zone is a state of the art youth centre which can cost 6 million to initiate, plan and build. Open 365 days a year their motto is: Somewhere to go, something to do, someone to talk to. Onside provide young people with a chance for change. I have been involved since I was in Year 9.

Helping with promotional events and running outreach I’ve gained a lot more confidence; and I’ve done things I never would have thought possible as a result. I pitched a new logo I had created with SEA design for Croydon’s youth zone; I’m regularly on stage promoting; and I’ve met and talked with important people, such as the former mayor Boris Johnson (we have meetings every Wednesday in City Hall in which we discuss our progress). I also enjoyed meeting Sir Clive Woodward, who presented the event on the 18th November. Youth workers from across the country were involved in organising and presenting alongside Sir Clive and other speakers.

I was the host. The evening raised money for the charity organisation and we spoke to millionaires and council members and explained to them what we do in London, as well as showing them how youth zones have impacted young people’s lives.