About BYC

Who we are…

Brighton Youth Centre (BYC) is an exciting hub of activity open to all Young People between 5 – 19, with a focus on the 13-19 age group. The centre is a registered charity and offers a varied programme of events, activities and support for young people. We also hire out spaces for other groups to use and work in partnership with many different projects that support a wide-range young people, including young people with disabilities, young carers, young offenders, young parents and homeless young people.

 

What we do…

From table tennis to karate, skateboarding to circus skills, BYC has a massive range of activities that run in the centre. Whether you are interested in just dropping in or signing up to a weekly course, there is lots to choose from. We have regular youth clubs for different age groups, events and music nights, theatre, dance, football, djing, music production, trips and much much more. See our timetable and activities pages for more information.

Other services that are available at the centre include family & educational support, nutrition and sexual health advice. If we don’t offer the particular service you need, we can help you find somewhere that does.

BYC is also now a member of The Collective, a collaboration of youth organisations and services in the Brighton & Hove area (for more information see Arts). Through this we support and engage with art, theatre and other creative activities for young people across the city and are part of co-ordinating and delivering B.Fest, the Brighton youth arts festival that is run for young people by young people as part of the Brighton Fringe Festival (www.b-fest.co.uk).

 

Where we come from…

Established in 1917 by a Mr Prior, BYC started its life as Brighton Boy’s Club, in a tiny house in St John’s Street, Brighton. Seeing that boys and young men in the area had very little support and nowhere to congregate, Mr Prior opened up his house and offered them somewhere warm to sit, soup to eat and the opportunity join in organised football practice. Due to the growing need for this service, in 1927 the Prince of Wales opened the first official building in St John’s Street dedicated to supporting young men in the local area.

Increasing demand meant that in 1963 new plans and funds were approved by the minister for Education to construct a purpose-built youth club in Edward Street which would “promote the spiritual, intellectual and physical wellbeing of boys and young men”. The club was strictly inter-denominational and non-political, striving to make boys and young men welcome from many different backgrounds.

In 1977 changing social and financial conditions saw the club open its doors to girls and young people of all ages. At this time it also changed its name to Brighton Youth Centre. To ensure sustainability the club started hiring out spaces to other groups and individuals and looked to build up its membership by offering a wider range of activities and trips. In this way, BYC has evolved into the multi-service charity that it is today. We continue to offer low cost spaces to hire for individuals, charities and young people looking to establish their own activities (for more information see hiring our facilities) and at our core, we are a youth centre and service, offering support and activities to over 400 children and young people every week.

We looking forward to welcoming you here!