Our Hideaway Youth Cafe and School Drop-ins provide safe spaces for young people to belong. Here they can have fun, relax, meet and make friends, as well as connect with their community. Being open access young people can come and go as they like, engaging with activities that meet their needs at that time. Matrix Youth workers provide positive role models and when needed, can signpost young people to other youth-focused activities or more specialised support.
"Coming to Youth Café helps me deal with things better - I’m a happier person because of it!"
Discover your new go-to spot for fun, creativity, and support—completely free!
Open to 11–18 year-olds: No sign-up required, just pop in after school. Enjoy:
Whether you want to play, create, learn, or simply unwind, our youth hub is here to champion you every step of the way. We look forward to seeing you
Every Monday, Wednesday & Friday (term-time only), 3:30 – 5:30pm
The Matrix Youth Cafe is located in the beautiful Allen House Gardens, right in the heart of Guildford.
Each week in term-time we run lunchtime drop-ins at secondary schools in Guildford. All are welcome. Just drop-in!
Wednesdays
(currently year 7s)
11.50am – 12.20pm
Room: 110
Wednesdays
(open to all year groups)
1.00pm – 2.00pm
Room: A40
Drop-ins are a safe space to have fun with your friends, to play games or chat. This is a chance to chill in the middle of your school day, helping to reduce stress levels and prevent poor mental health.
They are also a place where you can find a youth worker who will listen to you and who can help you find mental health support if you or a friend are struggling.
We are always looking for enthusiastic people to join our team.
Youth Team
Could you spare a few hours a week to hang out with young people, playing games, cooking with or listening to them? We need School Transition Coaches, Youth Café Team, Youth Hub Team in your local community and One-to-One Relational Schools workers.
Support Team
If working with young people is not your thing, or you can only volunteer from time-to-time, don’t worry, there are plenty of other opportunities to support us with your time or skills. Check out our latest vacancies (below) or email [email protected] to find out more.
We provide all our volunteers with training and support as well as the occasional party!
We rely on the generous donations of individuals and communities to enable us to continue running and developing our provision, as well as increasing the number of young people we work with. So, if you’d like to run a race, hold a bake sale or jump out of a plane, raising vital funds for Matrix while you do, then we’d be happy to support you!
In May 2025, we launched our anniversary CrowdFunder campaign to raise £25,000 for 25 years of empowering young people.
Please do consider donating to our campaign, as well as sharing the link of the page on social media, Whatsapp or email. Every contribution helps us sustain and build on our vital work in the community.
Get cashback for the Matrix Trust. With Easy Fundraising, you can shop in over 4,000 online retailers including John Lewis, Argos, eBay, and M&S. It won’t cost you any extra, but when you shop through Easy Fundraising they will donate to us every time you shop online!
Leave a legacy donation to the Matrix Trust in your will. If you don’t already have a will set-up, My Legacy can set-up a basic will for just £50 and allow you to leave a bequest for our charity.
We rely on the generous donations of individuals and communities to enable us to continue running and developing our provision, as well as increasing the number of young people we work with. So, if you’d like to run a race, hold a bake sale or jump out of a plane, raising vital funds for Matrix while you do, then we’d be happy to support you!
