Established in 2001, HAAYA is an ethnic minority led voluntary organisation based in Hounslow.

We are concerned with the aspirations and achievements of young people aged from 10 to 25 and their personal development, positive citizenship and integration into the mainstream. We provide support for personal and social development, aiming to empower the youth and give them a voice of their own. We address issues relating to disaffection and social exclusion, through a variety of educational, social, welfare and leisure activities as well as advice sessions.

Our Mission

HAAYA’s mission is to bring out the best in young people living in and around Hounslow. HAAYA provides a range of educational, sporting, leisure and cultural activities open to all young people regardless of their religious or ethnic background. Through these activities we aim to improve the morale, achievements, aspiration and life chances of potentially disadvantaged, disengaged, disillusioned and deprived young people.

Our Aims:

1. To support the personal development of young people and to offer individuals the opportunity to develop and achieve their potential, particularly those who are vulnerable, disadvantaged, and at risk of social exclusion. This is regardless of their ethnic or religious backgrounds.
2. To organise a range of cross-cultural leisure, educational and social activities for potentially disaffected youth across the borough.
3. To encourage young people to take an active role in their local community.
4. To promote community cohesion and cooperation amongst the different faith and non-faith communities.

Our Work:

HAAYA’s activities and services are centered on the educational, welfare, and physical development of young people mainly from the Asian and African communities, particularly those who are underachieving. These include regular educational and recreational activities including sports, camping, after school activities (indoor and outdoor), day trips, visiting historical places to develop knowledge, a supplementary school for young people underachieving in mainstream education (mainly GCSE and 'A'-level students); advice sessions on street crime, drug abuse and community involvement programmes. We also provide informal drop in advice sessions and refer young people to the appropriate specialist agencies as necessary.

Although primarily aimed at young people from the Somali, Bengali and Pakistani communities our Mission Statement specifically requires that our activities to be open to all young people living in Hounslow and surrounding boroughs, regardless of religion or ethnicity. Our membership is predominantly drawn from the three target communities, and our activities are designed to be culturally appropriate to those groups. However, we have so far nine different ethnic groups represented in our membership, including Arabs, Iranians, Indian and English. Many have a refugee or Asylum seeking background. HAAYA is the only group we are aware of in West London that works with such a varied mix of bright young people.

We hope you enjoy your visit to our website.