Local Life: Modi Abdoul
Published: Summer ‘17
Modi Abdoul, team leader at The Edge youth hub at Woodberry Down, has been working with Young Hackney since 2011. Passionate about working challenges, Modi and his teams are preparing the young people of Hackney with life skills through informal learning, inclusive activities and, most importantly, fun!
could you tell me a little about the edge?
The Edge is a youth hub that offers a whole range of after school and holiday activities from pool, table tennis, sports, cooking, music, art and much more – including offsite activities and trips based on our reward system. Our members range from 8-19 years old and we run activities for them in two sessions to accommodate the different needs for each age group. It’s fully funded by Hackney Council so it’s free and open to all young people in the borough.
what is your role here?
I’m a Universal Team Leader. I manage the team who plan and deliver the activities, and work alongside the young people.
A lot of our activities allow young people to have fun in a safe environment whilst having positive adults, from various backgrounds, around them to support their development.
what aspect of your job do you most enjoy?
For me it’s seeing young people grow up and having some influence in their lives. I like that the young people can talk about things with other adults who are not their parents.
how do you inspire and support them?
We support young people in developing into adults and what that means to them. We do this in a safe, informal setting and manner in order to encourage behaviour development. For example, allowing our Senior young people to help staff in sessions to build their confidence whilst working towards accredited awards, which in turn provides the Juniors with a role model. We also champion young people who helped build this service to continue to be part of it.
what do you like most about the area?
I live in Ealing, but I spend a lot of time here. There’s something about this area I really connect to. I think the reservoirs are definitely an uncharted part of the borough, and there aren’t enough local young people who access it.
what does the future hold for the edge?
We’re going into a new phase where we want to revamp the whole programme. The team aims to consult with young people and parents more to enhance our programme and increase our membership.
We want to make sure that new families who are moving into the area are aware of us. I want them to come and see what we’re about and give it a go. Ultimately, it’s our drive and our passion for young people that makes it succeed.
The Edge
7 Woodberry Grove,
London, N4 1ST
