Focus On: Oxygen
Friday Night Project: £1 for 1 minute
October 2009

The week is over, the weekend has begun, it's Friday night so what are you going to do?

After a hard week's work, all of us enjoy changing gear on Friday's, whether it is with a movie, meal or meeting up with friends, we enjoy the opportunity that Friday night brings. For the young people of Kingston Borough, Friday nights are no different, they too want to switch off, want to enjoy the start to their weekend after a busy week of school and coursework. Yet for a growing number of these young people, what to do on Friday nights, how to switch off and enjoy, has had a decreasing amount of possibilities.

Whether it is due to a lack of imagination or a perceived lack of opportunity, for many the decision to be made about Friday nights has become one about where to go drinking. It is not, therefore, surprising to learn that between 2004 and 2006 there was a 28% increase in the number of young people under 16 years who have attended Kingston Hospital A&E with a primary diagnosis of alcohol or apparently drunk. Kingston now is the London Borough with the second highest hospital related alcohol admissions for young people. A recent PCT youth survey found that 64% of local young people admitted being drunk in the last month and 43% admitted to taking some kind of illegal drug.

Local Christian Youthwork charity Oxygen has been working with young people across Kingston Borough since 2001. During this time they have met thousands of young people, run hundreds of different projects and helped many young people overcome their challenges. Now Oxygen is turning its attention to the problem of Friday nights.

Oxygen is working in partnership with the YMCA to launch a £1 a minute Friday Night Project at the basement, a new youth café in central Kingston. This will enable young people to run some great Friday night events for other young people. From comedy stand-up shows to battle of the bands and movie nights, every £1 donated to Oxygen will enable it to run another minute of activities for young people.

Oxygen is now looking for those who are interested in joining in with its Friday Night Project. They can be those who are interested in performing, those who would like to help out, or anyone or organisation who is interested in either donating, or undertaking a fundraising challenge to support the work.

For more information contact Richard James richard.james@oxygen-online.org
www.oxygen-online.org/fridaynightproject