A youth project in South Shields Town Centre is helping drive down anti-social behaviour (ASB), by giving young people a new place to hang out and have fun on a Friday night.
Last Friday, Police and Crime Commissioner Susan Dungworth and local councillors met with some of the project’s youth workers and the young people who have been dropping into Ocean Road Community Centre, to find out more about how the project is becoming the new place to go.
The Friday Night Project is run by South Tyneside Council, with its Business and Community Responders and its Youth Service. It is supported with funding from the PCC’s office through its ASB and serious violence initiative, Project Shield.
It sees the responders and youth workers engage with people at places like bus stops and the transport interchange, and they invite them down to the community centre as an alternative place to hang out, with plenty to keep them entertained.
By offering tasty food and good music, along with a range of activities like rock climbing and football, more and more young people are heading to the community centre to find out what it’s all about – averaging around 35 people per session.
One young person told Susan, they started coming because it’s better than being out in the cold and the food is ‘pretty good’ too. A youth worker also explained that some of the kids coming to the centre had been linked to ASB on the streets – due to boredom and lack of facilities. They said: “They are different kids in here, more respectful and engaging – even with the police. The centre changes them for the better and they get on with the youth workers – we can be someone for them to talk to or look up to outside of the family unit or school”.
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Susan Dungworth said: “Providing this space and these activities is a direct response to residents’ concerns around young people at the Interchange and in other public spaces either getting involved in ASB or at risk or becoming involved.
“Instead, we are intervening early by giving them a place to be and activities to do – that’s often all young people need – and it’s really positive to see them choosing to engage with this. It’s a win all round and really is a great piece of work helping the delivery of my plan for safer streets and stronger communities and improving feelings of safety for everyone.”
The project was piloted on Friday nights back in October and during this month ASB fell in South Shields Town Centre by 13%. It is believed this youth diversion work along with additional police and partner patrols in the area, funded through Project Shield, have helped contribute to this reduction.
This positive impact and its growing popularity has also led to the Friday Night Project becoming more than just a Friday night thing, as it now covers Thursdays and Saturdays too, and now also includes access to a large sports hall.
Cllr Jane Carter, Deputy Leader of South Tyneside Council with responsibility for community safety, said: “Our Friday night youth project gives young people a safe, welcoming place to spend time and try new things. Attendance has grown week-on-week and as relationships have developed, we’ve seen a real improvement in behaviour, with the young people showing greater respect for staff and the facilities.
“The sessions have been co-designed by our workers and the young people themselves, offering everything from arts and crafts to music and sports including football, dodgeball and badminton.
“The project is proving a real success story, with youth ASB in South Shields town centre reducing by 46% between October and December 2025, and we’re delighted that we’ve been able to expand it.”
As well as youth intervention work, from April 2025 to Dec 2025, South Tyneside Business and Community Response Team and local Police Neighbourhoods Team have carried out in excess of 12,000 patrol engagements with public, youths and local businesses as part of Project Shield. All this work has helped achieve a 24.6% reduction in ASB in South Shields Town Centre, including the North and South Marine Parks during this period.
The Friday Night Project is a multi-agency partnership including the Business and Community Response Team, South Tyneside Youth Service and Ocean Road Community Association (ORCA) Staff.
The project links with other services to offer additional support and education as and when appropriate such as the Violence Reduction Unit Education team, Connor Brown Trust and One punch.
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