Youth Opportunity Fund: How we spent it in ... Central Beds

Until April this year, Bedfordshire County Council managed the youth opportunity and youth capital funds for the local area. But when the county council was disbanded earlier this year and replaced by two unitary authorities - Central Bedfordshire and Bedford - both were given their own youth opportunity fund and youth capital fund allocations. The former now has a 2009/10 allocation of £139,400 for the youth opportunity fund and £120,500 for its youth capital fund.

What were the early challenges? Ketan Gandhi, now head of integrated youth support for Central Bedfordshire, was there when the former county-wide authority established its youth opportunity fund and youth capital fund arrangements.

"Our first panel was good but it needed to be more representative of the people the funds were aimed at, such as vulnerable teenagers and those not in employment, education or training," says Gandhi. "So we sent youth workers out to recruit from those target groups."

The youth workers also had to help the young people overcome some of the prejudices and stereotypes held about certain groups. Gandhi remembers sitting in on two early panel meetings where young people were asking why they should give money to people who have committed crimes, or to Gypsies and Travellers. "We had to discuss these issues and talk about what the funds were for," says Gandhi.

What decisions were taken about the application process? At first some limits were set on how much young people could apply for, but that was later changed. "We didn't want to hamper good projects," says Gandhi. Over time applicants have got sharper about applying for realistic amounts of money and at supplying financial details such as quotes for purchases.

As in many authorities, the panel had to develop an eye for applications that actually came from adults. "Young people did get wise to that," says Gandhi. "Panellists would phone up to speak to young people who would respond, 'what are you on about?' Now it is made clear young people must be available for phone calls or meetings and no money is allocated until they have been spoken to."

What happened when the split took place? Both of the new unitary authorities have kept the Streetcred name that was used by the Bedfordshire County Council panel. Gandhi says they have also tried to limit the impact on the young people involved. "The model we were using wasn't broken so we didn't have to fix it. It just meant we had to recruit more young people to keep numbers - Bedford has done the same."

What's planned next? Gandhi says it still needs to do more work to get looked-after young people involved as panellists and applicants. Friday and Saturday night activities will also become more of a priority.

"It will also be more about impact, rather than just 'that's a good idea, we'll fund it'," says Gandhi. "We have something of a motto here that 'every Central Bedfordshire pound counts' - that's going to be the approach."

Where the money went

Houghton Regis Skate Park: A youth forum in Houghton Regis called HYVE (Houghton Youth Voice Experience) applied for £50,000 for a skate park. There were five core members who met regularly for a year to develop their application before they applied for the money. They had support from their town council and local residents. Streetcred awarded the project £30,000 towards the cost of the project and the young people were successful in raising the remaining money required. The skate park opened in July 2009. Core group member Ian Dixon-Wilkinson, 16, said: "It's a lot easier than we thought it would be. The forms are easy to understand and fill in."

Leighton Thru a Lens: Run at Leighton Buzzard Youth Centre, Leighton Thru a Lens is a project helping young people to appreciate the different cultures that exist in their community. The group chose to look at topics such as living with and respecting other cultures, attitudes towards different youth cultures and religious festivals. The group applied to Streetcred for £2,250, enabling them to visit Lille in France so they can draw comparisons. For the majority of the group, this will be their first visit abroad. As part of their Asdan accreditation, the group has logged comparisons showing the similarities and differences they discover and will produce a collage illustrating their understanding of diversity.

Stotfold Youth Shelter Project: In October, a group of young people from Stotfold successfully applied for funding for a youth shelter to be sited near the River Ivel, which flows through the town. Nicola King, youth and community officer at Aragon Housing Association, has been working with the group and supported it with an application for £7,690. "They are a great bunch of guys and seem really concerned about including everyone in the project," she says. "They even said no to getting a shelter with Bluetooth because they didn't want it being targeted by the older kids." The teenagers agreed to a design that would be able to house around 15 people and has a back and sides to offer protection in the winter.