Social action programmes to share £2.5m

The organisations are to receive grants of between £45,000 and £250,000, and include Catch22, Barnardo’s, vInspired and the Care Leavers’ Association.

The programmes bring together volunteers and community organisations to help tackle problems affecting young people, such as homelessness, unemployment and disengagement from education.

These include the National Youth Advocacy Service which has been awarded £100,000 to grow the number of volunteer peer mentors for care leavers in the North West; and Sova which will use its £205,000 grant to improve the literacy skills of 280 young offenders in the West Midlands through the help of mentors.

Grants have been awarded through the Vulnerable and Disengaged Young People Fund and the Centre for Social Action.

Up to 10 large UK businesses will provide free business skills support to the 26 organisations through the Foundation for Social Improvement.

The 26 grant recipients are:
•    Catch22
•    Barnado’s
•    Circles UK
•    Community Housing Aid
•    Family Action
•    Greater Manchester Youth Network
•    Groundwork Lancashire
•    Lancashire County Council
•    Media Trust
•    Mencap Liverpool
•    Midlands Psychology CIC
•    North Music Trust
•    Norwich and Norfolk Community Arts (NORCA)
•    Nottingham Community Housing Association
•    National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS)
•    Positive Youth Foundation (PYF)
•    Prison Advice and Care Trust
•    Prospects Services
•    Westminster City Council
•    Safer London Foundation
•    Sova
•    The Care Leavers Association
•    Torbay Intensive Adolescent Service
•    vInspired
•    Voluntary Action Leeds
•    Youth Resource Services (YRS)