Sans Street Youth and Community Centre 

Sans Street Youth and Community Centre was built in 1969. the building spans four floors and includes a large sports hall, a recently refurbished education and training suite, games area, coffee bar, meeting room and office space. In October 2006 the organisation changed its name from Sunderland Catholic Youth Centre to reflect the fact that all people are welcome, regardless of religion, and a change in emphasis from youth services to providing for the whole of the community.

This project - which is designed to last for 3 years - will provide educational and sporting opportunities to improve educational attainment and the levels of fitness amongst the local community. On the educational side, a wide range of courses will be delivered which will reflect people's needs and aspirations. They will start from "first rung" non-accredited programmes, aimed at breaking down barriers to learning and encouraging progression, through to accredited provision. Literacy and numeric basic skills will, wherever possible, be integrated into all courses delivered and dedicated basic skills provision will be available, including additional support for those for who English is a second language. Our new IT suite will be used to integrate information technology skills with other courses and for dedicated computing courses. The outcome of the educational provision aimed at post 16 year olds, will be to increase confidence amongst participants, raise levels of attainment and promote an ethos of lifelong learning amongst residents. They will develop skills which can then be passed on to their children, thus creating sustainable higher levels of educational achievement which will decrease the gap between Hendon and the East End and other areas of Sunderland.