Some of the teenagers and two of our adult volunteers during our soft launch in September- taken after event with parental permission.
After a series of evenings at our Teenage Chill-out Lounge in Ilford BACA will be organising a Halloween costume party for young people – at their request.
The lounge allows children to socialize in a safe adult-supervised environment and also provides an opportunity for charities, community groups and leaders to share messages of hope and unity and to make young people aware of services available to them.
During the Halloween party we hope to have a short talk from local police advising of safety during this special date and on teen knife crime. We also hope to have a short talk from Simon Standen, Outreach Officer for High Road Baptist Church who will share a short talk on ‘looking out for one another’.
The Halloween Party will be held on 31st October and entry will cost £2.00 which will include one free non-alcoholic cocktail. Food, drinks and snacks will be sold throughout the night at very affordable prices.
A strict age restriction will be adhered to which will be limited to 11- 16 year olds and ID will be sought for those who seem to be outside these ages.
Hannah Chowdhry, said:
“So far attendance at our events have been very diverse and we have had Jewish, Muslim, Christian teenagers in attendance and we hope diversity increases.
“Food and snacks will be available at a cost but I don’t think anywhere else can compete with our prices for sumptuous burgers and hot-dogs which will be sold for £1.70 each.
“It is a wonderful opportunity for parents to put their feet up and leave their teenage children in a safe supervised environment.
“Moreover, it will allow local youth in Ilford to use their Ipads, phones and play games using our electronic whiteboard, whilst socialising more communally with others of a similar age.
“We have a sound system and can also play music for those who want to dance or simply prefer a slightly noisier background.
“We hope having supervised arenas like this will get more young people off the streets and away from gang culture, while also promoting local unity.”
If you are a parent and are thinking of sending your children to the chill-out lounge for our Halloween party, please let us know as we would like to ensure we have appropriate levels of food and drink. Moreover we require telephone numbers for parents so we can confirm with them when young people are about to leave our premises.
The regular hours for the chill-out lounge are from 6pm -10pm every Friday and Saturday, however parents can collect, or advise children to start or leave at whatever time they find most suitable.
The facility will serve young people aged 11-16 only and proof of age will be required on your first attendance.
Due to the Halloween Party we have opted to cancel the following Friday and Saturday event so our volunteers can get some rest.
