Tower Hamlets Summer University

THSU runs short courses, typically two to five days long on a non-residential basis, are provided free of charge to young people aged 11 to 25 across the borough of Tower Hamlets during school holidays. Courses cover such subjects as Careers in the City, The Trading Floor, Photography, Driving Theory, First Aid, Maths without Calculators, Jewellery Design and Making, Bollywood Dance, Film Making, Kick & Thai Boxing, Cricket, Tourism and Psychology.

Through one of the courses offered by THSU Nang! is produced.

Summer Uni London was a project commissioned to THSU by the Department for Education and Skills to develop other Summer Unis across London through training, support and resources.

A successful employment programme for unemployed 16- to 25-year-olds.

Up to 40 volunteers (aged 16–25) volunteer to support the holiday programmes as Peer Motivators or Team Leaders.

The trustee board is informed by a Youth Advisory Group who represent the views of young people to the board. Two young people from this group also sit on the board of trustees.

In 1993, Lord Young of Dartington commissioned a research project to find out why youth crime increased each summer. The research concluded with a number of recommendations regarding summer provision for young people in the borough.

In 1995, the Education Business Partnership and the borough invested time and money in piloting a programme of activities for 14- to 21-year-olds. This blue-print for Summer Uni was thoroughly documented with all results published in the autumn.

In 1996, two senior workers from the youth and arts sector (David Holloway OBE and Elizabeth Lynch) were seconded from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, becoming the Directors of TH Summer University and established the Tower Hamlets programme and national roll-out. It was registered as a charity and company limited by guarantee ("Tower Hamlets Summer Education Ltd") in February of that year.

This pilot was additionally the blue print for the University of the First Age in 1996.

By 1997, Hackney, Brent, Newham, Islington and Southwark piloted their own programmes and in the next two years, other boroughs and other areas of the country followed suit. Funding from the Lottery and the New Opportunities Fund helped this momentum.

In 2006, Lord Andrew Adonis and the London Challenge team (part of the Department for Education and Skills) commissioned Tower Hamlets Summer University to roll out the model to every London borough. The young participants of Tower Hamlets Summer University chose to call this project 'Summer Uni London'. Summer Uni London was launched in June 2006.

In 2010, THSU and Summer Uni London rebranded as Futureversity to help represent the nationwide expansion goals of the charity.