Our Vision
Downside Fisher Youth Club (DFYC) is a registered charity, which has been operating in the heart of Bermondsey in Southwark for over 100 years.
We exist to promote the personal, social and educational development of young people. We inspire young people to develop their potential, acquire new skills and build confidence to make their own decisions.
Implicitly, young people are provided with opportunities to work effectively in groups and take a responsible role in the community. We deliver informal social education, based on a voluntary relationship, which enables young people to develop their interests and learn new ways of using their leisure time.
At DFYC we aim to make a difference to young people’s lives and especially to those who are the most vulnerable and have faced the most barriers in the past.
Our youth workers are trained to have regard for all aspects of children and young people’s well being, including their social, emotional, health and educational development.
Our work is underpinned by a belief in the young person’s competence and resourcefulness. We work hard to engage young people positively to make their own decisions, respecting the role and contributions they make, including their right to be heard.
We connect at three levels of intervention in our work; we provide universal services for all young people, a specialist preventative service (e.g. outdoor education with groups of young people and outreach work to young people at risk) and targeted services, involving a multi-agency approach to provide a tailored package of support to individuals.
Claudia Webbe, CEO, The Downside Settlement (Downside Fisher Youth Club)
Our Mission
Our Objectives
- To promote the personal, social and educational development of young people.
- To inspire young people to develop their potential, acquire new skills and build confidence to make their own decisions.
- To provide opportunities for young people to work effectively in groups and take a responsible role in the community.
- To deliver informal social education, based on a voluntary relationship, which enables young people to develop their interests and learn new ways of using their leisure time.
- To make a difference to young people’s lives and especially to those who are the most vulnerable and have faced the most barriers in the past.
Our Beliefs
- Young people are competent and resourceful.
- Young people have a right to an opinion.
- Young people have the right to be heard.
- Young people have a valid role in society and positive contributions to make.
The facilities for Mixed Martial Arts are good for conditioning but it's also good for socialising. I didn't know much about it before I came here, I've learned a lot, so I am really glad have discovered the Club.
The highlight for me has to be stepping into the ring at the Troxy, it makes all the months of training and practice at Fisher worthwhile. My confidence is definitely boosted.
When I was about 11, I started to become a part of ‘a gang’ and found myself getting into more trouble than I should have been. Some of us were getting arrested, some got involved with drugs and some got put on asbo’s. Downside Fisher is a place for us to go and do activities and it gets us off the streets and when we are off the streets we aren’t getting in trouble.
Street Beats gives us a place to express ourselves musically; its open to people who have experience making music and also people who are just interested in how it all works. 
With rock climbing, I was able to reach the top, that was very important to me.