Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Call for the community to meet to discuss how to help the young people of our Borough
A response to the riots and an invitation to the community
I write this from rural west Ireland, where I currently have no access to television or the internet, learning in horror of the riots in London via text and the radio.
I am heartened to hear of the response to our offer to help ferry donations up to Tottenham Green Leisure Centre. We have now taken two van loads and the cages outside the store continue to fill up.
I feel that it is time for the people of east and west Haringey to get together as a community and look for ways in which we can give the young people of our borough hope for the future. Be that by mentoring, offering work experience or re-opening the youth clubs.
Myself, Jim Shepley, programme director of Hornsey YMCA, and Azul Thome from FOOD from the SKY would like to call a public meeting (venue TBC) on Tuesday 23rd August at 6.30pm to discuss ideas and get our heads together or indeed link up with other local groups and initiatives who would like to meet.
Further to this if you would like to make suggestions before the meeting then please comment below or email al@thorntonsbudgens.com
Warm wishes,
Andrew Thornton
Tags for Forum Posts: london troubles
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Noots on
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I think this is a great initiative. Personally, I don't have a lot of spare time, but I know that I ought to be doing more to help those doing sterling work with kids in our community. The funding cuts mean that all of these organisations will now be struggling with finances, but if a number of people were able to make humble, but regular financial contributions to the cost of running these projects, that would hopefully make some sort of difference? So, are there any youth-related projects in the area that stand out as being especially worth trying to help?
Noots' husband
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Permalink Reply by Thorntons Budgens on
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Hi Matt, that would be really useful actually - thank you. Please could you drop me an email? al@thorntonsbudgens.com
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Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on
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Andrew, I have a feeling that the slowness of response to your initiative, in contrast to the avalanches of comment hurtling down more predictable streams on this and other sites over the past few days, should not disillusion you. We all find it easier to spout the predictable than rise to the commitment of really positive contribution.
It just might be that this sort of initiative should involve the Heads (or, maybe better, the Deputy or Assistant Heads) of all Haringey's 11-18 Secondary Schools, both East and West, and even the lead teachers of Primary Years 5 & 6. Not to turn your initiative into a merely school-based venture, nor to suggest negatively that poor school discipline is the cause of the world's ills. But these are the people with knowledge of and some influence over the young people of our borough, as well as positive links with parents and carers. Many of their teaching staff, both younger and more experienced, will already have close connections with the youth clubs, where these still exist, with those businesses which year after year willingly provide periods of work experience for, say, Year 10 students, and in many cases with professionals and university/college departments which provide mentoring to students of Years 11-13.
Whether August 23rd is an ideal date to hope to involve such people (on the last week of their summer holiday - some in more remote spots than the 'rural west of Ireland'!) is another question.
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Permalink Reply by HoL Site Admin on
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Whoops! Just realised that it says please comment below but in fact this refers to Andrew's blog not this one. Suggest that people copy and paste their responses onto his blog here as he may not pick them up from this page. Still good to hear people's responses here too though
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Hi everyone and thanks for your comments. Andrew will just be happy for this to be discussed and won't mind where that discussion takes place.
This first meeting is just a place to start - getting the ball rolling. I realise the timing is not ideal, summer holidays and all.
If you have any suggestions of local initiatives you feel it would be worth me reaching out to and inviting to the meeting then please let me know.
Thanks, Al.
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Permalink Reply by andrew thornton on
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Thanks for the responses to my post, made in various places. Heartened by the response! I am just back from Ireland, still feeling kinda relaxed as not officially back to work until next Mon, so rather than reply to each comment one by one, I will try and address all comments here.
Realise the meeting is at short notice and during the school holidays. However, hope it will be the start of a process.
Agree about the need to have as many young people there as possible, I know for sure a number have said they'll come we (Azul, Jim and I) are all encouraging this; can I ask everyone else to do the same. Also agree about schools and the need to engage them, maybe that can be an outcome from the first meeting.
Also take the point re people taking the initiative, although what is second nature to some is not for others.
Really appreciate those who are willing to contribute time, ideas and the idea of getting some fund raising going.
Just sorting out venue, will confirm by end tomorrow. Appreciate if everyone can put this out in your networks so we can get as wide an attendance as possible. Al is doing a poster/flyer, which he will send to all/post in case you have somewhere you can put it up. Hope to have this by end tomorrow.
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Permalink Reply by David Schmitz on
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Thank you very much for taking this initiative. I'll certaintly try to be there.
David Schmitz
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Harringay Ward
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The venue is now confirmed for the public meeting at 6.30pm on Tues: Harringay Club, 50 Tottenham Lane, Crouch End, N8 7EE.
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Permalink Reply by Tindara on
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Er, I'm loathe to be negative from the outset but is it really appropriate to hold this in Crouch End when most of those affected are in Tottenham? Surely that's where this whole effort should be initiated? I don't think the vast majority of Crouch End youngsters really have anything to worry about...
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