New youth base is named The Hive
A new youth base for Camden will be called The Hive, following a competition for local young people to choose the name. The Hive is due to open in Swiss Cottage in August.
It will be a safe and welcoming place for Camden young people, aged 16 to 24, who may be caught in the gap between children’s and adults’ services.
Axis, a new borough-wide health and wellbeing service for the same age group, will be based at The Hive and will employ a team of young adults trained to help other young people in many areas of their life - including education, employment, housing, social care, health and wellbeing.
The Hive will also be a place for young people to relax, study, meet new people and to get information about local services. There will be spaces for e-learning and personal study, as well as a social enterprise where young people can get experience to help build their CVs.
The Hive and Axis will be managed by social business Catch22, in partnership with local specialist organisations, while the new base and service has been jointly commissioned by Camden Council and the NHS Camden Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
A Young People’s Board has been involved in the design and delivery at every stage. Axis will work from the Hive but also across the borough of Camden.The Hive was chosen as the name for the new youth base by a panel including young people and representatives from Catch22, Camden CCG and Camden Council.
Catch22 and partners also worked with Camden’s Young People’s Board to find the name for the service – Axis was selected. Other young people’s services will work with Axis, using the facilities at the Hive.
Kirsty Magahy, Axis Programme Manager, said:“Congratulations to the Young People’s Board on their ideas, which showed their creativity and professionalism. Catch22 will work with young people in Camden to make The Hive a fun and safe place to spend time, with the new base acting as a gateway to other services or support they may need.”
Councillor Georgia Gould, Camden Council’s Cabinet Member for Young People, said: “This new borough-wide service is a bold new way of working collaboratively with providers and young people to create support which is responsive, accessible and designed with young people in mind. We hope Camden will pave the way for others by acting on young people’s feedback to develop services tailored to support 16 to 24 year-olds on their journey into adulthood.”
Dr Martin Abbas, lead for children on Camden CCG’s governing body, said:“We are really excited to be developing this important and ground-breaking service with Camden Council, as well as working with such an inspirational Young People’s Board and an amazing range of partners to improve the health, wellbeing and opportunities of local young people.”
More information
- The naming competition was initiated and run by the Young People’s Board. They reached out to 10 young people’s forums to gather entries, as well as promoting the competition online so that it would be open to all young people in Camden.
- The new youth base and service are the result of a joint project by Camden Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Camden Council to help bridge the gap between child and adult health and wellbeing services. The aim is to improve the health and wellbeing of young people aged 16 to 24 by improving existing health services and establishing a new youth base in the borough and a multidisciplinary team reaching out across the borough. Camden young people, who said they wanted one place to go for a range of support, are helping to design The Hive. For more information email kirsty.magahy@catch-22.org.uk or visit the Catch22 website
- Axis partners: Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust; Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust; Anna Freud Centre; Brandon Centre; The Winch; The Integrate Movement