01/03/2024 - Tokko Youth Space celebrate £1.3million Youth Investment Fund grant

Working in in partnership with Tokko, Luton Council’s architects, space planners and building control colleagues assisted with plans and detailed project overview to support the Youth Investment Fund bid.

The grant will be used to renovate the building to:

As part of the bid, a youth participation officer will be recruited who will undertake outreach, working directly with children and young people most in need, creating pathways and opportunities to signpost children and young people to Tokko services and other supportive services.

This grant will ensure that Tokko can quickly progress the transformation of the centre; the aim is to complete all works by October 2024. And young people will not miss out while the build is in progress as the plan is to work floor by floor to ensure that day-to-day youth activities can continue. 

Aimee Djengiz, Chief Executive Officer, said: “The Youth Investment Fund grant of over £1million will transform our youth offer. Since Tokko opened back in 2013, we have co-designed a huge array of projects to support young people, giving them somewhere safe to go outside of home and school. But, we cannot reach every young person and need to expand and improve our service, so everyone has a chance to thrive. We also need urgent work to modernise the space and make it sustainable and accessible to all.

“There will be something new for every young person at Tokko. One of the existing spaces will become a gym facility to support young people’s physical health and wellbeing. The gym will also be an attractive space that other local schools, youth projects and partners can use.”

Councillor Tahmina Saleem, portfolio holder for children, families and education said: “We are delighted that Tokko Youth Space has been awarded this much needed grant enabling them to transform the centre so they can respond to the changing needs of our young people. This supports our vision for Luton to be a child friendly town where children and young people can access quality services that keep them safe and secure and be given opportunities to develop, play and socialise.

“We are fully aware that not all children and young people and particularly those who are criminally exploited access appropriate support. The creation of the youth participation officer will help to bridge that gap liaising directly with children, young people and families to help ensure they are signposted to services and facilities to address their needs.”

Tokko is the town’s largest youth centre which was developed on the site of a former advice centre donated by the council. It took years of partnership working with young people as well as public, private and third sector organisations to create this centre providing a space where children and young people could go, to be safe, and to talk and be heard.

The grant will help Tokko to build on this creating even more opportunities for young people to engage with different activities and further develop their skills and aspirations.