Saving CYTO

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This discussion topic has been automatically created of petition Saving CYTO.

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#51 Re: saving the croydon youth theatre

2011-03-14 16:12

Ginny Lumsden
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#52 Re: saving the croydon youth theatre

2011-03-14 19:38

Victoria Scrase
Guest

#53

2011-03-14 20:13

victoria scrase
Debbie Salacuri
Guest

#54 Potential closure of CYTO

2011-03-14 21:57

My daughter attends Croydon Youth Theatre. It has been a great way for her to meet new friends and socialise in something that she is passionate about. She has been in several shows which have given her great confidence in her abilities. It would be a crying shame for Croydon, and especially for South Norwood which is a deprived area, if this valuable youth service had to be closed.
Debbie Salacuri
Guest

#55 Re: worth writing to our local MP?

2011-03-14 22:08

#34: Cathy Heath - worth writing to our local MP?

I tried writing to all the Croydon MPs.  All I got back were letters saying that it was out of their hands and referred me to my local councillors.  I was NOT impressed.

Koralia Salacuri
Guest

#56 CYTO cannot be closed down!!

2011-03-14 22:43

I love CYTO so much, I have been there for 2 years and can't stand the thought of it closing down.
It would be a travesty and is extremely short sighted for the council to even THINK of closing down such a special place.

When I first came to CYTO, I was very shy, but being there has helped me grow in confidence, both socially and in my performance. I have also made many friends there; everyone is so friendly and non judgmental. At CYTO I feel accepted much more than I do at school, and I love talking to people that have the same interests as me and share my love of theatre. When I am at CYTO I feel completely free to be myself and just have fun.
Being at CYTO has taught me so much about myself and others. Also, doing shows teaches me a lot about how to be a better performer. I am passionate about theatre and CYTO has really helped me learn more about it.

I also love putting on shows for my friends and family. I have been in several shows now and they are extremely fun and give me something exciting and interesting to do in my spare time. Without CYTO I wouldn't know what to do with myself. CYTO is a very healthy, buzzing community that does NOT deserve to be closed down. So PLEASE DON'T!!

Antoinette Smith
Guest

#57 DONT YOU DARE CLOSE CYTO !

2011-03-14 22:55

CYTO has changed my family and me for the better! I am a current member at CYTO and i say that if you close it will be one of the biggest mistakes the government will ever make! CYTO has helped me with my singing dancing and confidence skills, has given me the chance to do things that i thought i would never be able to do and only because they have the time and the facilities to do it in. If you got rid of the facilities, teachers and time that CYTO has you will lose a big number of youth to crime within Croydon. You can’t expect CYTO to do what they are doing with less than half the time and no facilities it’s actually ridiculous. You will have way more problems to deal if you closed CYTO than if you kept it open. They accept everyone from everywhere people who are disabled people who may not be the best at what they do but still, they make the most out of what they have, encourage us all and keep our spirits high.
Another amazing thing about CYTO is that the price. For the year it is only £60! To come ANY DAY of the week to do ANYTHING THEY OFFER. If you think about any other performing arts organisation CYTO asks for nothing in return to what they give us. CYTO offers so much too so many different people that if you did close it the Government will hear about it. There is so much to keep and so much to gain so closing it will be a very harsh and wrong disiciuon to make. Fair enough you’re trying to make cut but cut something that won’t affect the next generation of the borough. The next generation of this borough is what you should be concentrating on making sure they get everything they need for if they don’t have what they need to have a good confident happy life how will they pass it on to their children? This cycle will continue if the people don’t talk. I’ve always been taught that if I’m not happy about something then I should say something because if I don’t talk THEY WON’T LISTEN.
So this is my saying something
Close CYTO and feel the pain
Keep CYTO and feel the gain.

Antoinette Smith
Active member of CYTO.
Suzie Voce
Guest

#58 saving cyto

2011-03-14 23:38

i am a current member of cyto and i really love it there, it's like a second home. The people there are all amazing and friendly and i would never know them if it wasn't for cyto. I love theatre and cyto is the only place where I can truly enjoy it with really talented people. I spend so much time there, I would be lost without it.
Sandra Voce
Guest

#59 CYTO closure - how does this rate with David Cameron's "Well-being and happiness" policy requirement

2011-03-14 23:46

Cyto is a rare and valued opportunity for young people from all backgrounds to feel safe, happy and inspired. Listening to them trying to defend this service to council officials during the "consultation" process was incredibly sad, knowing that their heartfelt pleas were almost certainly falling on deaf ears. Please don't do this - once it's gone it'll be lost forever.
Ellen Griffiths
Guest

#60 Save CYTO

2011-03-15 00:14

Save it dont let it go
Chloe Field
Guest

#61 Saving CYTO

2011-03-15 00:26

Please don't close CYTO! It is a valuable organisation in our society which does amazing work with our young people. The closure will leave a huge hole in our community. It is madness to even consider it!
Nicholas Kavanagh
Guest

#62 Save CYTO

2011-03-15 00:32

I am completely shocked to hear that CYTO is in danger of being shut down. The people in charge of making this decision need to look closely at how integral CYTO is to the lives of the thousands that have passed through its doors over its many years. A place where; personality, friendship, talent and creativity are allowed to flourish. It would be a very sad day if we let such an important organisation slip through our hands. CYTO has represented not just its Borough but England itself while it has toured ground breaking shows to festivals and performance spaces such as the 'Tate'. I had the great pleasure of collaborating with CYTO on two seperate occasions, when both our youth theatres performed a co-production in 2007 and 2008. It was an incredible experience for the young people on both sides, a time when life-long friendships were made. I ask the powers that be not to shut CYTO down but instead to put more money into it and allow it to grow and prosper. Think not of the money but of the lives of the young people that CYTO has and will continue to nurture and enhance through; theatre, dance, film and friendship.
Nicholas Kavanagh
WATERFORD YOUTH ARTS (Ireland)
Helen Clarke
Guest

#63

2011-03-15 00:32

#30: Emma Lundy - CYTO

many young people of croydon have found solace in abundance at a place called CYTO - croydon youth theatre organisation. tucked away, i’ve been a member for 6, going on 7 years now, from when i was 13 up to 20.

croydon’s teenagers need CYTO, and places like it. i’ve seen hundreds of kids, many of them from criminal or broken homes, walk through it’s doors with the weight of the world on their shoulders, and immediately fall in with the amazing tutors, and other members, all struggling with their own lives, families, bodies and thoughts. they get to dance, sing, act, tech and design - and this ain’t no glee club. it’s therapy.

the fact CYTO is arts based is neither here nor there. it's a brilliant, nurturing home for young people first and foremost.

no one is turned away, no one gets left behind. it’s been my home for the entirety of my teenage years, and it’s everything to me. it’s everything to all of us.

it's the very beating heart of Croydon.

if anyone happens to be reading this, please, we're begging you, keep CYTO open.

 

Glenn Cooney
Guest

#64

2011-03-15 01:13

Why should the youth of Croydon lose their theatre? Places like this help kids discover their talented side and so it shouldn't be at risk for any reason.
ollie breslin
Guest

#65 can't believe this - please sign

2011-03-15 01:25

This is a very important youth theatre in an area that badly needs a good youth theatre. Can't believe that Croydon Youth Thetare CYTO is in danger of being closed down. the young people who participate get an awful lot from their involvement - its essential that we support them in their hour of need.
Guest
Guest

#66 Re: can't believe this - please sign

2011-03-15 01:35

danielle ovenden
Guest

#67 Re: saving the croydon youth theatre

2011-03-15 10:04

Anna Rohde
Guest

#68

2011-03-15 11:41

How can we expect young people to engage if we take away this creative and stimulating environment?!
DC Jones
Guest

#69 Saving CYTO

2011-03-15 12:48

To quote a recent review of a Cyto production-
"At a time when young people are receiving bad press, the ones from CYTO are showing that such generalisations are just wrong"

It's hard to believe that someone would be belive it's logical to remove an Organisation that gives the opportunity for the young people of the local area to develop skills in an enviroment that welcomes them and encourages their creativity. A decision to deny the youth of the area this freedom of expression will do nothing more than suffocate any future for the area.
Jill Adamson
Guest

#70 please think again

2011-03-15 14:29

To Croyden council, please think again before taking such a drastic step ending such a vital service for young people and the local community. Theatre is not just about making plays, it engages the minds and hearts of performers and audience alike. In the current climate the future is daunting for young people. Unemployment rates are set to double, teenage pregnancy, a life of crime, homelessness and poverty are a threat to far too many young people. If we offer no positive alternatives, no means by which these young people can engage and contribute, have a voice that is heard and something to look forward to, then ALL of our futures are doomed.
Please reconsider. NAYT will be happy to help and support any process which could lead to the survival of provision for the young people of Croyden. Please contact nayt.org.uk
Thank you.
Bob Wolstenholme
Guest

#71 SAVE CYTO!

2011-03-15 14:30

I taught and directed at CYTO 2003-2004 and what it gives to the young people involved is invaluable - not just fun, but also increased self-confidence and self-expression, a place to be themselves yet work as a team and all through an open access 'anyone can get involved' policy. Cutting its funding is crazy - cultural vandalism, contrary to 'big society' ideals and will deprive future generations of south London young people of a much needed creative outlet.
imogen Ward
Guest

#72 Re: CYTO

2011-03-15 14:43

sarah butler
Guest

#73 cyto no close

2011-03-15 15:08

I have seen the love poured into CYTO, the hard work and a place for children to be themselves and be safe. Please do not close!!
Daniel Fathers
Guest

#74 Cyto

2011-03-15 15:18

Cyto helps keep kids of the streets and teaches all of them different parts of the theatre industry
Paul Hayes
Guest

#75 A prime mover in my adolecence.

2011-03-15 15:57

It pains me to hear that CYTO is under threat. I had a very difficult time as a teenager and the thing that gave me the most joy was my time spent performing, rehearsing and socializing at CYTO. I'm sure many young lives will be so much worse without it, should it close.