HeadSpace
copyright Bolton Council
HeadSpace is the project that proves that we can successfully put young people at the heart of projects meant for them. We are really rather pleased with it.
The original idea came from a group of young people in Derbyshire known as the Book Pushers, who wanted a new, laid-back environment in which to read and enjoy books - in fact they wanted to be able to enjoy words in whatever form they come in.
A HeadSpace is a library but not as you know it. It is a place where young people can pick a book and a snack served by a Book Waiter. A Book Waiter is a local young person who can tell you about the hottest new books, cds, games and dvds that you can borrow while they serve you your order.
You can find a HeadSpace in a library but you might equally find one in a café or youth club. What unites them is that they are run in equal partnership between young people in the area and their local libraries. Young people help pick the books, choose what gets served in the café, choose how the HeadSpace looks and decide what happens there.
In fact, a group of young people have already designed the HeadSpace branding in partnership with CuriousGroup.
All great experience and fantastic CV fodder.
We have worked with almost 700 young people and 20 library authorities in four regions to develop HeadSpace thanks to a Big Lottery award of £575,000. It is part of our Fulfilling their Potential work.
The first HeadSpaces have already opened and lots more will follow up until March 2010. Eventually there will be a HeadSpace in (those marked in bold have already opened):
East Midlands
Buxton Library, Derbyshire
Corby Library, Northamptonshire
Worksop Library, Nottinghamshire
North West
Halewood Library, Knowsley
Halton Lea Library, Halton
Haslingden Library, Lancashire
High Street Library, Bolton
Longsight Library, Manchester
South East
Burgess Road Library, Southampton
Café IT, Folkestone, Kent
Crawley Library, West Sussex
High Wycombe Library, Buckinghamshire
Lordswood Library, Medway
South West
Barcode Youth Café, North Somerset
Central Library, Swindon
Efford Library, Plymouth
Hartcliffe Library, Bristol
Lyme Regis Library, Dorset
Melksham Library, Wiltshire
Padstow Library, Cornwall
"We'll be there in the library for when a child or teenager comes in - we will be talking to them about books and suggesting books that we think they will really like. HeadSpace is going to make a difference." Sameeha Patel, volunteer at HeadSpace Bolton"
