YES: April Donnelly, operational manager, Coventry Youth Service
We have a funding panel of 12 to 15 young people. If they say no or yes to something then that is the final word.
We as adults are there to advise them, but they are free to take that on board or ignore that advice.
We also empower young people through other funds as well. Their expertise has been used for Coventry Children's Fund and they have been involved in more creative funding. For example, match funding Positive Activities for Young People money with youth opportunity fund money.
NO: Lenny Sellars, youth worker, Barnsley
The issue here isn't whether or not the youth opportunity fund is creating opportunities for positive outcomes, it is whether or not young people's expressed needs are being met. And it is about whether or not the grant administrators are creating potential barriers by imposing hidden conditions.
Another issue is the probability that some of these applications will be influenced, manipulated and even dominated by adult agendas. The expectations on young people and assumptions of their functionality are quite exclusive and potentially discriminative.
YES: Kaytie McFadden, 18, chair, Coventry youth opportunity fund panel
It certainly does empower us. The decision on funding is 100 per cent ours. Sometimes adults point out things in a bid that we might have missed, but they do not try to influence our decision.
Usually if we want more information about a bid we invite a group in or go and visit them to get more information. We are not being directed at all in the decisions we make.
YES: Kevin Sweeney, senior manager, operations and staffing development service for young people, Wiltshire Council
What it has done is to show that young people can be trusted to manage sizeable budgets and make robust decisions based on evidence. A key point is the involvement of youth workers to support, guide and challenge young people.
I see a direct link between the opportunity fund and the commitment in Aiming High for Young People to get young people to actively shape our services which is something we all support.
