Saving CYTO

Croydon Youth Theatre Organisation changed my life. Before I joined I saw myself as a chubby teenager who would never be accepted. From the moment I walked down those stairs to the green room I felt like I belonged, not only are the members friendly and outgoing, the tutors are as well, they make you feel like you can be something, like you’re special. After only a few weeks at CYTO I gained so much confidence in myself and realised I had a true passion for performing, and even though I’m not the best singer, dancer or actress, CYTO didn’t care, they still included me in whatever I wanted to be included in, be it musicals, dance shows or sound and lighting.

You learn things at CYTO, things that other young people don’t get to learn because they don’t have CYTO. You learn to accept everyone and everything, there’s no prejudice at CYTO and if there was then they wouldn’t accept it. You learn to be a be a performer and you put on these amazing productions that mean something, if you’ve never seen a CYTO production then I urge you to get the DVDs before shutting it down. These aren’t your average performances by kids and teenagers, they are amazing, they can educate you and entertain you all at once and the performers themselves are second to none.

To take away this place, a second home for most, would be such a mistake I can’t even describe it. CYTO is such an important part of all members’ – past and present – lives that taking it away from them and the future members would be disastrous. Even by looking at this petition and all the comments and signatures surely you can see that CYTO is worth keeping? I constantly hear things about our community, CYTO is like the definition of community, it brings together people from all ages, ethnicities and religions and makes them come together. Do you really want to lose one of the only places in Croydon with community spirit? I highly doubt it.

You cannot close CYTO.