Youth projects among beneficiaries of £49m funding boost??

The funding pot of £48.86m comes from the Big Lottery Funds Awards for All programme, which provides grants of £300 to £10,000, and the Reaching Communities programme, which awards grants of £10,000 and above.

?Copeland-based youth support charity Young Cumbria, which aims to support young people across Cumbria, in particular disadvantaged young people, is among the beneficiaries, receiving £464,709.? ?It will use the funding to support young people with an offending history or those at risk of offending.

??Its “Foundations” project will provide street-based youth work and drop-in sessions at schools and colleges that includes sessions on employability skills and building peer support. ??
It will also work with local organisations to provide support around issues such as sexual health, housing, substance misuse, domestic abuse and youth offending. It is expected to support up to 1,200 young people.

?Derby-based YMCA Derbyshire was also handed a grant worth £283,000, which it will use to work with vulnerable and disadvantaged 18- to 30-year-olds over a 12-month period, who are residents at the YMCA Campus in Alvaston. ?

?Its “Threshold to Success” project will provide activities and opportunities to help them take back control of their lives and build their confidence and aspirations. ??

Lyn Cole, grant making director at the Big Lottery Fund England, said: “So many local community organisations across the country are enabling people and communities to grow together, bringing positive changes to their lives and futures. ??

“It’s wonderful to hear the stories of how, through these great projects, people have overcome barriers, learned new skills and improved their lives.”

??London-based Just for Kids Law was also handed nearly £480,000 to develop a project designed to support 10- to 24-year-olds in East London who experience multiple and complex issues including being involved in the care system and exclusion from school.

?It will offer specialist legal advice and holistic support by working with young people to get them into positive activities including work, education and training.

??Smaller amounts of funding were also given to various educational institutions and voluntary and community organisations that help children and young people including youth counselling service Bedford Open Door, Oasis Children’s Venture in Lambeth and City Youth Music in Newcastle.    ?