Brick Lane Youth Development Association (BLYDA) is an youth-initiated scheme. The origins of BLYDA date back to the late 80’s when, confronted with acute problems of spiralling crime, deprivation and social exclusion, a committed group of local youths banded together in a determined effort to address the lack of youth facilities in the Brick Lane area of Tower Hamlets. Operating from the humble confines of a port cabin in a sunken pitch situated in the notorious Chicksand Estate, the group constituted the Brick Lane Youth Club in 1989. The centre offered a focal point for the local youth, providing them with much-needed leisure and recreational space. The limited resources meant that the organisation’s primary focus was restricted to the delivery of youth club facilities, however, as the capacity of the organisation expanded to meet the broader needs of the youth and the community at large the organisation evolved to function increasingly as a developmental association. In recognition of this the decision was taken in 1997 for the Brick Lane Youth Club to be renamed the Brick Lane Youth Development Association (BLYDA). Today BLYDA is an established, grass-roots organisation operating from the heart of Tower Hamlets. The strongest asset of BLYDA is its ability to engage ‘hard-to-reach’ young people and mobilise positive action. There are five exceptional projects that form the basis of BLYDAs success; these are the: Aasha Gang Conflict Mediation Project Amaal Girls Group Education & Employment Project Shaathi Mentoring Project, and Youth Club & Holiday Project | 
