It’s clear to see the benefits that Build Up offers to young people and their communities
Copper is shining a social value spotlight on…Build Up who run practical construction projects for young people aged 10 – 23 to design and build structures in their local communities.
Working across London for the last ten years and with involvement from over 2000 young people, Build Up has delivered 50 community centred projects, that each benefit their local communities. The projects that Build Up run and deliver build generations of skilled, capable and confident young Londoners.
It’s clear to see the benefits that Build Up offers to young people and their communities, which is why we met with Huan Rimington, Director of Build Up, to hear more about Build Up, its positive activities, and what the construction sector can do to get involved.
What is Build Up’s role within the community and how does it support it?
Build Up is a charity that work with young people to support them, shape the local area while building life and vocational skills as part of the process. Young people in all parts of London identify projects that they feel will improve their community for everyone, a recent example is the transformation of a community garden in Deptford. Our young people then work with us to develop, design and build them. That process involves young people leading every stage, so they’re building both work and vocational skills in that process. By the end, they’re not only equipped with construction skills, but they also gain confidence of being able to achieve something and say, “I’ve done that”.
What outcomes are you looking to achieve in the communities you are working within and why have these been identified as a priority?
Originally when starting Build Up it was something which was meant to benefit young people. We focused on young people learning skills, building confidence and having access to work. But then we realised these projects were having an impact at a community level. They’re projects and ideas help create spaces that are accessible to everyone and everyone can come together.
Every project is different in what it’s seeking to achieve but a big part of our work around public spaces is creating spaces that are inclusive and safe. We find that young people have an incredibly good and sensible approach to public safety. They think creatively and make positive decisions that people respect, and their ideas are recognised as safe spaces.
How do you identify which projects to undertake or not?
Young people understand their community way better than us and for this reason they have always been involved in making decisions on our projects. When we started out, most projects were selected by our staff team or nominated some very committed partners. However, we soon learnt young people are in a far better place to identify and prioritise projects, and that way we can have maximum impact as an organisation.
Our youth advisory board review our projects that we’ve done already and determine what the priorities should be for the next year. We then run annual open calls that parents, residents, community groups, contractors and councils can apply to for partnership. The board then visits the shortlisted potential projects and selects which one’s they’re going to undertake. Young people are involved from the start and shape what the project is in more detail as it becomes closer to being built.
What makes Build Up stand out to young people and draw them in?
I think it’s individual for each young person. For some it’s about construction, for another, it’s about being connected to their community, and doing something practical that really contributes to it. I think one of the biggest things is gaining confidence after doing something for the first time and seeing the results. It’s also really local, so we normally work with a local partner to grow recruitment. This could be with local residents or an existing youth group. We’re quite a unique organisation so word tends to travel across social media quite well.
What has been your greatest success over the last year and what is your focus for the next 12 months?
There’s a couple of projects that are really special to us. A recent one is a public pathway “Red Path” in Hackney linking two parts of the borough. The path has major safety and accessibility issues impacting on the daily lives of young (and older) residents alike. In partnership with local organisation Hackney Quest and built environment practice Space Black, we secured CIL funding from the London Legacy Development Corporation to work with young people to develop a design. Then Hackney Council adopted the project and secured a further £250,000 to begin the initial improvements to the path. Our young people are now being paid to advise the council on these improvements – this is a really big step forward.
Finally, how can businesses and other organisations get involved in supporting Build Up?
We’re supported by The Worshipful Company of Builder Merchants and their members who have very generously donated most of our tools and equipment. So at the moment what we need help with most is funding for our staff team to work with young people on projects.
Materials are always getting more expensive, so it makes a big difference when organisations reach out to us and donate the materials that we specifically need, for the projects we’re currently undertaking.
Another thing is support, either financial or donating, things like skips, containers and Heras fencing to assist us set up our sites. Helping in this area can make a really big difference especially if there’s staff that are able to practically volunteer. There are also some construction activities we can’t do with young people, say digging foundations, so skilled volunteers can really help us, and our young people achieve a lot more on a project.
Find out more about Build Up