Why?

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Why?

Swift Youth Group

The Swift Youth Group is the umbrella name for the various activities and groups that use the facilities at The Swift Centre for youth work.

The weekly climax of the youth work is the Friday evening gathering which always guarantees a vibrant, diverse and friendly atmosphere. All young people, boys and girls, are welcome to come and join in the fun for only 50p from 6pm until 10pm. The evening is hosted by a group of dedicated, experienced volunteers who organise and supervise the activities.

The Members

There are a core of young people who have been coming every week for many years and are already making the natural transition into leaders. We also regularly see new faces as people bring along friends. The last 3 months have seen a massive growth in numbers largely due to the new activities introduced by the leaders.

Activities

The most popular activity is 5-a-side football which is always a skilful, fast paced affair where you can witness some of the most talented footballers in the east end showcasing their skills. You need to look no further than the Morden Baptistas to see the talent that has come out of The Swift in recent years. We can even lay claim to a current Army Intelligence Corp 1st XI player.

Aside from football we also use the sports hall for games of volleyball and badminton, as well as relay games, non-stop cricket and bucket ball. Another popular game is uni-hoc although unfortunately we have lost the puck so it hasn’t been played for a while!

Recent introductions to the Swift Youth Group have been the immensely popular street dance and drama clubs. Using our contacts we have persuaded some local professional dancers and actors to come and spend their Friday nights at the Swift passing on their knowledge to our young people. The Swift’s ability to produce exceptional talent does not stop at football; there are rumours that we may enter a street dance team into a national competition in the not too distant future.

Upstairs

When they are worn out from the sports the kids normally make their way upstairs where there is a ‘tuck shop’, some very tired pool and snooker tables and the prehistoric table tennis table. Table tennis tournaments are regularly organised, usually by the more experienced kids, and always provide excellent entertainment.

For those who want a more relaxed evening they can spend some time in the ‘chill out’ room which is fully equipped with a broken TV, a collection of donated computers and some smelly sofas! The plan is to redecorate soon although with our lack of funds we will be using leftover paint and the only colour we have so far is pink…

Summer Camp

Every year the volunteers who run the Friday evening club organise a weeks camping somewhere in the English countryside. This has been a yearly highlight ever since the 1970s when it started as the BB / GB joint camp.

Places are available for regulars at the Swift for a mere £100 which covers everything for the week.

The summer camp is such an important part of the Swift Youth Group it has it's own page - read more about the summer camp here

How the money will help

The 50p entry fee charged to members covers the cost of heating, lighting and insurance. The tuck shop generates a small amount of profit which is reinvested in stock. As such the Swift Youth Group pretty much breaks even which is good but it does mean we have no money for new equipment or more ambitious projects.

All of our equipment is left over from the BB / GB days and is showing its age, although we make do. Old tables for goals, footballs brought along by the club members, rope as a volley ball net, ripped snooker table and a TV that doesn’t pick up any channels!

Reaching our fundraising target of £10,000 would provide the Swift Youth Group with £5,000 to invest in its future and bring new opportunities to its members. Some of the money would go towards the summer camp, some towards new equipment for the Swift and the rest towards activities that we would never otherwise be able to afford.

Considering the approximate entry fees for an entire year total around £600 you can imagine how much difference such a contribution would make.

Visit Us

If you are interested in visiting the Swift Youth Group please let us know and we will be more than happy for you to come and see us.

Want to Help?

If you are interested in supporting the Swift Youth Group and its hardworking volunteer team please Donate & Get Involved or for corporate sponsorship visit the Sponsorship page.