Words & pics supplied by Urban Devotion Birmingham
Since 2004, The Underground has been a safe, welcoming space for young people in Perry Common to socialise, make friends, and engage with the UDB team.
Located beneath St Martin’s Church on Witton Lodge Road, the space is used by Oscott Academy during school hours, while UDB hosts various youth activities in the evenings. Young people can grab a toastie, play in the sports hall or hang out in our youth space.
We spoke to some regular attendees, asking why they come to The Underground and what they enjoy about it. Their answers varied: “To make new friends,” “It gives me something to do,” and “It makes me feel safe.”
They enjoy the food, toasties, sports, and the chance to “see some friends every week.” One young person shared how the space has “helped with my self-control” and how UDB is always there to support them when they feel sad or angry.
We believe it’s vital to offer young people safe, drop-in activities where they can feel relaxed, heard, and have fun.
We all crave spaces where we feel we can belong, and we feel privileged to be able to provide those spaces to many young people throughout Erdington.
Our sessions at The Underground are open to different age groups:
- Mondays from 3:15pm-4:30pm for school years 3-6
- Mondays from 5:00pm-6:00pm for school years 7-9
- Wednesdays from 6:00pm-7:00pm for school years 9-13
For more details and to see where else we run drop-ins check out our QR code (above).
For more on Urban Devotion Birmingham visit www.urbandevotion.org
Urban Devotion Birmingham is a key partner in the Erdington Local COMMUNITY ANCHORS programme, supporting independent local and community journalism.
