ABOUT US

Funders & Partners

For a list of our funders and partners

Summary of Current Work

Tower Hamlets Summer University (THSU) is an independent charity pioneering innovative approaches to independent learning for 11 to 25 year olds. A vibrant programme of free courses and activities combining academic and vocational study, performing and visual arts, music, sports, information technology, new media, work and careers, personal development, entertainment and year round volunteering opportunities takes place each year.

2007 is THSUs twelfth successive year and it is firmly established as an organisation with a strong identity and appeal for young people. The success of Tower Hamlets Summer University has inspired 18 London Boroughs to develop their own schemes based on the THSU model engaging and benefiting thousands of young people across the capital (see www.summerunilondon.org). In December 2005 THSU gained Quality in Study Support status (QiSS) as an ‘advanced’ centre of Out of School Hours Learning, the first Summer University in the country to enter for this kite mark and to succeed.

THSU Aims to

Promote independent learning
Raise achievement
Promote racial tolerance and good community relations
Increase access to educational opportunities through creative partnerships between all sectors, statutory, voluntary, business and industry
Involve young people in the organisation's development

Who Attends?

THSU actively encourages and welcomes any young person, regardless of personal circumstance, to enrol for and attend courses and activities. Attendance is voluntary and is free. Summer University provides a safe, non-judgemental, non threatening, learning atmosphere. Young people come because they want to.

Over 1300 individuals take part in THSU programmes each year. The majority of participants attend more than one week on courses. Approximately 45% are male. The ethnic profile of participants reflects the breakdown of young people in schools in Tower Hamlets with 54% Asian, 16% White, 20% Black, 1% Chinese and 9% from other backgrounds including mixed race.

Successes

Young Millennium Award Winners and Peer Motivator Volunteers from Tower Hamlets Summer University have carried out projects and attended seminars and workshops throughout Britain and abroad in the past eight years and the benefit they have brought back to their local communities is immeasurable. For example: they run workshops in schools and at Summer Universities across London; they are ambassadors for youth; they have set up and run other youth organisations, such as Tolerance in Diversity; they have become members for the Youth Parliament representing the youth of their boroughs advising Government ministers on youth issues; they have helped to run workshops in healing racial conflict in Bradford; they have become part of the Rapid Response team.

At Summer University, many young people who have attended courses and activities in previous years are now studying at University. Many of these are the first members of their family to go on to higher education and further still, they had never considered University as an option. Other achievements have seen participants set up their own business, had writing, music and art work published and represented Britain at international conferences and seminars. Some students are now summer tutors, running workshops in a variety of subjects including racial tolerance, knowing your rights and NASA and beyond.

Two of our Nang! journo’s, Mildred Amadiegwu and Trishma Borkhataria, have been sponsored by News International to attend Harlow College to study Journalism. Mildred, is currently doing her work placement with The Sunday Times.
A very BIG THANK YOU for all your input into making this happen, and for believing in me. Don't worry, your name will appear in my autobiography... Mildred on hearing the news of her sponsorship

One young man, Mo Alam, has produced a feature film called Movies and Dizzee Rascal (aka Dylan Mills) won the Mercury Awards in September 2003. Expelled from two schools, Dizzee attended THSU out of school hours music classes at Langdon Park School in 1999 and 2000 and the THSU summer programme in both years and he has credited THSU with launching his career. Dizzee told East End Life in June 2007, “Coming from Tower Hamlets is hard. It’s one of the poorest boroughs in the country and you have to put more effort in to make it. Schemes like Summer Uni are good because they give young people opportunities to do things they might not get the chance to do otherwise. It’s a way out.”

An upshot of this is that we piloted a successful music project for disaffected young people producing a professional CD of local young artists work. This has led to our new ‘Summer Uni plus’ programme of year round arts and media courses and we are currently extending this to include sports and career courses.

Given our commitment towards raising the aspirations of as many young people as possible, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation is funding an independent feasibility study into the potential for national roll out of the THSU model and this will be progressed during the year.

Involvement of Young People

Peer Motivator Volunteers
THSU encourages the participation of young people through its Peer Motivation Scheme. Peer motivators are key to the success of Summer University, supporting the tutors, students with disabilities and marketing the Summer University to schools, clubs and other places young people frequent. Aged between 15 and 23, each receives a small lunch allowance and all travel expenses. The volunteers are supervised by the peer co-ordinator and supported by ‘team leaders’, young people who have been peer motivators in previous years. Supervision continues throughout the programme with daily meetings and individual feedback sessions.

Many peer motivators complete over 200 hours of volunteering and receive nationally recognised Millennium Volunteer Awards through Volunteer Action Tower Hamlets. The Summer Peer Motivator Scheme is accredited through LOCN (London Open College Network), Being a Peer Team Leader (level 3) and Being a Peer Worker (level 2) which we have developed in partnership with Tower Hamlets College.

Young Ambassadors Programme
THSU is developing its Youth Advisory Group, who ensure that out programmes are attractive and relevant to young people, into a year round, accredited Young Ambassadors programme, with three groups recruited and trained to advise us in the three broad areas of our work; Sports, Arts and Business. Training will include event management, fundraising and public speaking and the ambassadors will represent our charity and themselves, locally and London wide.

‘What I enjoyed was meeting new people who are all talented and the teacher bringing energy and vibrancy to the class.’ Natalie Rahamim, Student, Singing & Song Writing.

What young people say about Summer University

THSU Board

The board of trustees are all volunteers. They bring unique skills, wisdom and guidance to the organisation and ensure that young people are at the forefront of all strategic decisions. There are currently twelve trustees who come from the corporate, statutory, charitable and youth sectors. Two young people who have taken part in THSU for over three years are on the Board of Trustees, bringing a youth voice to the board and giving them experience of formal management bodies.

Registered as Tower Hamlets Summer Education Ltd.
Registered office Ground Floor, 24-26 Fournier Street, London E1 6QE
Registered company no. 2017713 / Registered charity no. 1048822