The best things in life are free

Since 1995, a pioneering summer university has run courses in a deprived area of London. Now, its future is in jeopardy. Lucy Hodges asks, can it survive?

In 1993 the late Lord Young of Dartington had one of the brainwaves for which he became so famous. There had been trouble the previous year over the summer holidays with teenagers hanging out with nothing to do. The man who invented Which? magazine and the Open University got thinking. Maybe the young people needed something to occupy their minds and fill their time, he thought.

So Lord Young asked two 18-year-olds to spend six weeks in the summer of 1993 nosing around the council estates and youth clubs of Bethnal Green, east London, to find out what the youngsters were doing and what, ideally, they would like to do. Thus was born Tower Hamlets Summer University, a pioneering concept that has spawned summer universities all over London and around the country.

Established after a small pilot project in 1995, it is not a conventional university. It doesn't teach degrees, so it is not higher education in the traditional sense. But it was an instant success and is now in its seventh year. Youngsters aged 14 to 25 flock to the courses in information technology, new media, music, performing and visual arts, sport and fitness and even to classes in maths and philosophy. The beauty of the university is that it is free to everyone, regardless of where they live or how much money their parents earn. This year places on the philosophy course are going like hot cakes and the courses in first aid and baby-sitting are full.

Other summer universities have sprung up in Hackney, Southwark, Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham, Camden and Islington in inner London and in Brent, Waltham Forest and Epping Forest in the Greater London area. In addition, there are universities in Slough, Bedford, Luton, Somerset and Blackburn with Darwen. All are modelled on the first one in Tower Hamlets but, unlike Tower Hamlets, they have been developed by local authorities.

Why do the youngsters choose to improve themselves in their holidays rather than slumping in front of the TV? They want to learn new skills, to make progress with subjects they find difficult at school and to have a good time with their friends, says Sarah Davies, the school's director.

Last year's enrolment for the main four-week programme for 14- to 25-year-olds was up by 25.5 per cent on the previous year. The most popular courses were those that had a practical application. Demand for the digital music and computer building courses was four times greater than the places available. Demand for street dance, video-making, maths in the real world, self-defence and driving theory was twice the places available. But the university doesn't just provide young people with useful skills; it is also broadening their horizons. A number of the teenagers have had their expectations raised. Some have decided to go to university. Some have been inspired by learning a new subject and have chosen the subject they want to study at university.

"The benefit of the summer university is that it opens doors for the local community and breaks down perceived barriers that people might have about higher education," says Sarah Davies.

Running alongside the summer univ-ersity is a junior one for 12- and 13-year-olds. This year's courses include web design, music performance and skills, a DJ workshop,drama, sculpting and graphic art. There are 120 courses at the main university, including a circus summer school.

The main university courses are held in colleges, youth centres, art galleries and in two universities – London Guildhall and City University Business School. All students who complete courses receive a certificate and some courses give them nationally recognised accreditation by bodies such as British Red Cross First Aid.

Tower Hamlets Summer University is a charity, which means it has to raise its own money. On the plus side, it means it is free of bureaucracy. But having to find funding of £350,000 a year is tough. This year it is in the final year of a generous grant from the New Opportunities Fund. It doesn't know what it will do when this ends. Will the Fund see its way to renewing the grant?

The Tower Hamlets Summer University courses continue until 23 August. Call 020-7247 7900 for details or log on to www.summeruni.org

l.hodges@independent.co.uk