Star Wars actor John Boyega visits Croydon youth centre offering advice for kids to follow their dreams

Star Wars actor John Boyega returned to his south London roots this week during a visit to a youth centre in Croydon.

The BAFTA winner spoke about the financial hardship he endured during his childhood and offered his advice on what he thinks is needed for young kids to turn their dreams into reality.

The 30-year-old said: “We didn’t have a lot of money when I was growing up, so I know how important it is to have free spaces and activities outside of the home.

“I was lucky that I had my father’s church and a local community drama group at Theatre Peckham, so I had places to go, and opportunities to dream.

“That’s why places like Legacy Youth Zone in Croydon are so important for the next generation.

“We just need more of them, all across the country so young people have a safe space to be themselves and have the opportunity to discover their passions in life, just as I did.”

His visit to the centre was part of a special evening with Amazon which has teamed up with youth charity OnSide to provide products, funds, and programming to support its network of Youth Zones, which help 50,000 young people across the UK.

John helped to deliver new equipment to the site, including Kindles, a PlayStation 5, a 3D printer, arts and crafts materials, Amazon Fire HD tablets, photography kits and a range of sports gear, including weights, basketballs, golf sets and a go-kart to inspire the next generation.

After receiving a tour, The Woman King star spoke about the importance of having access to safe and vibrant youth spaces, after he found his passion for acting through an after-school drama project.

It comes after research by Amazon found 49%  of young adults feel there aren’t enough free places for them to go – at a time when 69% cite the cost-of-living crisis as their biggest concern.

The research, which included a poll of 1,000 young people - aged 16 to 25-years-old - also revealed a new ‘Youth Spaces Access Index’, which ranked local authorities with the least access to youth space for young people (age 13-25) in England.

Jamie Masraff, incoming chief executive at OnSide, said: “Every young person deserves access to safe, inspiring spaces, where they can discover their passions and their purpose.

“Youth Zones offer many thousands of young people in communities nationwide a chance to have fun, make friends and try new things all with help from trusted youth workers - vital support which builds self-esteem and resilience, laying the foundations for them to thrive into adulthood.”