Venture Trust, an outdoor activities charity, is almost doubling its capacity after scooping a 247,000 grant from the Community Fund.
The funding enables the Highlands-based trust to pilot 10 personal-development courses for young people aged 13 to 25, starting in January 2004. Most referrals during the pilot will come from Fairbridge, the Foyer Federation and NCH.
Tamara Wilder, spokeswoman for Venture Trust, said: "It's a massive change that will nearly double our staff and our capacity."
Like the Venture Trust's existing 20-day schemes, the new offerings will be outdoor residential courses designed to help the personal development of disadvantaged young people.
"The trust usually works with 16- to 25-year-olds, but these courses will cater for 13- to 25-year-olds," said Wilder. "The 10-day courses are for people who have done personal development work before."
