NYA Update: NYA and O2 Think Big to create NCS legacy with Social Action Funding

Young people graduating from National Citizen Service (NCS) will have the chance to continue their community projects in four regions of England thanks to a Social Action Fund grant awarded to the National Youth Agency supported by O2 Think Big.

The Social Action Fund programme will provide NCS graduates in the North West, North East, Yorkshire and South East regions with cash awards, training and support from a team of specially employed youth workers.

The 18-month project will see young people build social action projects to benefit their local communities and create volunteering opportunities for their peers. The aim is to provide young people and all who participate with skills and experience for their future and to leave a lasting legacy of social action and volunteering within communities.

NYA has a strong and successful partnership with O2, which has evolved through working together to manage and deliver O2 Think Big. The programme funds and supports young people’s ideas to create or change something in their local community.

This partnership will drive and shape the new Social Action Fund project and O2 has provided an additional £500,000 to match the funded awarded. The young people participating in the Social Action Fund project will be provided with cash to develop their ideas, while gaining valuable guidance and advice from the O2 Think Big team and O2 Helpers to make sure their projects come to life.

Nick Hurd, minister for civil society, said: “We have awarded the National Youth Agency and O2 Think Big more than £900,000, which they have match-funded with £500,000. This will give this year’s National Citizen Service graduates the chance to continue their social action projects in their local communities.

“This is a great example of government, business and the voluntary sector working together to provide opportunities for young people so that they can improve their skills and take on new challenges.”

NYA chief executive Fiona Blacke commented: “Having the opportunity to build progression routes for young people who have been on National Citizen Service and had a taste of social action is great. We, at NYA, as well as our programme partner, O2 Think Big and our local delivery teams, are really excited about this project coming forward.

“We are going to use teams of paid interns and apprentices led by a youth worker to reach out to and engage young people and signpost them to programmes and funders that can support their next steps.

“Key to this is O2 Think Big, which is providing funding and support for more than 850 young people's projects which will drive the creation of volunteering opportunities for many young people.”

Ronan Dunne, chief executive of Telefónica UK, said: “We welcome this initiative to further strengthen the support given to young people. The investment announced today, in Britain’s biggest asset, its young people, is imperative.”

To deliver the Social Action Fund project, the NYA and O2 Think Big will be working with local delivery partners – Envision, Youth Action and Keyfund – in each of the regions and partnering with Durham University to evaluate the impact of this programme on young people, communities and O2 Helpers.

The Social Action Fund is managed by The Social Investment Business on behalf of the Cabinet Office.