The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) has announced the 43 latest recipients of its Youth Investment Fund (YIF) which aims to give “45,000 more young people access to youth facilities”.
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Youth policy review sets priorities but falls short on funding
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Hundreds of youth groups receive first YIF grants
The fund will benefit 45 local authorities and around 600 district wards in England where youth need is high and provision is low.
The initial grants will provide an additional 16,500 young people aged 11 to 18, and up to 25 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities, with access to activities to support their well-being, health, and skills development.
Every YIF project which applied for funding has been assessed by a grant panel as well as being evaluated by a team of trained young assessors recruited and supported by the National Youth Agency (NYA).
Examples of those receiving grants in this tranche of funding include:
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Edinburgh House in Stoke-on-Trent which will use its grant of nearly £2m for a renovation and extension project to support an additional 150 young people a week.
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Lambton Street - A youth project based in Sunderland that aims to help young people develop the skills to transition into adulthood in a safe and caring environment has been allocated a £785,000 grant for a redesign and upgrade to extend its reach to an additional 120 young people a week.
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Brighton Youth Centre has been allocated a £4.3m grant for a transformation project designed to reach 3,000 young people a week.
The YIF is being delivered by Social Investment Business in partnership with the NYA, Key Fund and Resonance.
In total, the £380m YIF, which was first announced as part of the Conservative Party’s 2019 election manifesto and was originally pledged to total £500m, will see 300 youth facilities built or refurbished over the next three years in chosen areas, according to government.
Leigh Middleton, chief executive of the NYA, said: “Over the next three years the YIF will support our ambitions to enable more young people to benefit from the life changing impact of youth work, including gaining essential life skills, preparing for employment and being empowered to have a voice in their communities and society.
"The involvement of our young assessors in this process is vital to ensure that bids have young people at their core and that the places and activities which will be delivered are inclusive to all.”
The announcement comes alongside an £11m investment to enable 200 youth clubs to open for an extra night each week as part of the government’s new Anti-Social Behaviour Action Plan.
A further £16.9m of funding has been announced as part of the government’s National Youth Guarantee to expand access to uniformed youth groups, aiming to create 20,000 new places for young people aged 10-18 across the country.
