Fight for Peace: Operation Peace Hub

We are proud to provide excellent sports facilities and youth services, but we can do more. We have always promoted the life-changing benefits of boxing and martial arts for young people, but we also recognise the potential barriers that young people may have to engage in combat sports; for instance, if it is something that does not interest them. We want to transform our Academy into an inclusive, multipurpose, bustling space designed by and for young people, with the aim of creating an Academy that is the 'place to be' for all young people in our local community in 2024 and beyond.

Through the vision of our young people, "Operation Peace Hub" will focus on transforming two areas of the Academy. Our central hub is your first port of call at the Academy, and is typically seen as a 'waiting room' where young people prepare for their sessions. Our peace garden is a tranquil outdoor area accessed through doors at the back of the hub. Both spaces are not considered by our young people as places they would want to use in their current forms. The hub lacks a 'youth centre atmosphere', with tables and chairs taking up most of the room, and the peace garden has no furniture or greenery to warrant hanging out there. "Operation Peace Hub" will transform these areas, providing young people with their own space to use throughout the week under the supervision of trusted youth workers and mentors.

For young people who would otherwise be uninterested in our services, they will engage with Fight for Peace for the first time. For existing members, they will have a space which is their own in a transformed, yet familiar setting. For all young people, they will be able to form and build relationships with peers and trusted adult role models. For the parents and guardians of our young people, they will take comfort in knowing their children can utilise a free, safe youth space after school under the supervision of experienced, qualified youth workers and mentors. For the wider community, this transformed space will allow Fight for Peace to host community events, where Newham residents can witness the impact "Operation Peace Hub" has had and will continue to have on 1,000 young people each year.