Our very own artwork

We’ve got a set of large concrete tubes on site that were left behind by previous occupants. Not exactly inspiring on paper, but in reality, they’ve become one of the most used and valued parts of our space.

The young people climb through them, sit in them, build games around them. They’ve turned them into something useful without anyone needing to tell them how. That’s usually a good sign we should pay attention rather than interfere.

Recently, we decided to take it a step further.

Urban artist Roo came in to work with the group, with a simple idea: if these structures are already a focal point, let’s make them properly theirs. Not just something they use, but something they’ve shaped.

There wasn’t a grand design brief. We started with conversations, what they like, what they want the space to feel like, what they’re drawn to visually. Roo helped translate that into something workable, but the ideas came from the young people. Bright colours came up quickly. So did patterns, symbols, and even "6/7"!

Then they got on with it.

Watching the shift was interesting. The same concrete tubes nothing structurally changed, but as the colour went on, the whole feel of the space lifted. What was previously just “there” became something you couldn’t ignore.

More importantly, the ownership shifted.

The young people aren’t just using the space now, they’ve left a mark on it. That matters. For a lot of them, environments are things that happen to them, not things they shape. This flips that.

It’s still the same tubes. Still climbed on, still part of everyday play. But now when people arrive, they notice them. And the young people are quick to say, “we did that.” This isn’t about making things look nice for the sake of it. It’s about giving young people a stake in their environment. Turning something leftover into something intentional.

No big intervention. Just paying attention to what’s already working and backing it.