The young volunteers want to raise £1,000 via Spacehive to cover their costs in running a Level 1 Volunteer It Yourself (VIY) project over one weekend. If successful in raising £1,000, the Selby Youth Centre will receive £4,000 of donated support from the VIY national partners, including Wickes, City & Guilds and Rated People, covering project essentials such as tools, materials and on-the-job mentoring support from local professional tradespeople.

The Selby Centre is operated by the Selby Trust, a local charity, and is a meeting place and activity hub for a mix of young people drawn from communities across Tottenham, Haringey and elsewhere in north London. More than 1,500 young people use the Centre each year on a regular basis.

Approximately 25 young people, many of whom are not currently in education, employment or training, are expected to volunteer on the project and, in the process, achieve an entry-level City & Guilds Building and Construction Skills qualification.

What we'll deliver:

• Clear, clean, weather-proof and base-paint all six containers ready for fitting out and occupation
• Paint graphic artwork on the exterior of each container

Why it's a great idea:

This project will help young people learn new skills and boost their employment prospects, at the same time as improving and strengthening Selby Youth Centre, which provides valuable services to young people in a disadvantaged community. It will also help young people at Selby Youth Centre to create and open a new bicycle repair and maintenance service serving the local community.

Steps to get it done:

• Local professional trade skills mentors identified and recruited by Wickes and Rated People
• Tools and materials donated by the local Wickes store
• Upfront health and safety briefing for all participants
• Young people’s work assessed and accredited by Lead Skills Mentor with support from City & Guilds
• Young volunteers recruited via Selby Youth Centre
• Work plan created by young people and Selby Youth Centre with support of skills mentors
• Young people and skills mentors work together over 48 hours to complete all proposed repair and refurbishment tasks
• Young people connected with further training and work experience opportunities to build on their VIY experience