A Factory East Initiative

The Safe Space Campaign

Our Mission

The Safe Space Campaign is Factory East's commitment to building permanent, community-owned spaces where young people can breathe, create, and belong. For over a decade, we've opened doors in East London — boxing gyms, creative hubs, dialogue rooms — all built from lived experience, not institutional privilege. These spaces have protected young people from the streets, given them identity, and offered them a place to grow.

This campaign turns that work into a long-term movement.

Why Safe Spaces Matter

Young people in our communities are navigating pressure, violence, exclusion, and instability. Too often, the only support they receive comes in the form of short-term programmes that disappear when the funding cycle ends.

Safe spaces are different.

A safe space is:

A consistent environment with trusted adults
A place to create, train, talk, and decompress
A shield from the streets
A foundation for prevention and long-term change

When young people have somewhere to go, they have a chance to live.

A Legacy That Drives Us

One of the young people we supported, Abiola "Nayta The Kid" Akerele, wrote a letter at seventeen saying the safe space saved him. His words have become the heart of this campaign.

His legacy reminds us that safe spaces are not optional — they are lifesaving.

What We're Building

The Safe Space Campaign is pushing for:

Permanent, community-owned safe spaces across East London
Creative and physical outlets that support identity, confidence, and mental health
Prevention-led infrastructure, not temporary interventions
A model that can be replicated nationally

Factory East has already proven what's possible. Now we're scaling it.

Our Call to Action

We are calling on:

Local authorities
Funders
Schools
Community partners
Businesses
Individuals who believe in prevention

Join us in building spaces that don't disappear. Spaces that protect. Spaces that heal. Spaces that save lives.

Be Part of the Campaign

This is more than a project — it's a movement. A movement rooted in lived experience, community strength, and the belief that every young person deserves a place to feel safe.