Youth Opportunity Fund: How we spent it in... Nottingham
Tim Burke
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Nottingham's youth funding panel handles up to 200 applications a year through its own local YouthBank, writes Tim Burke.
Nottingham City will distribute £465,000 in youth opportunity fund money and £200,000 in youth capital fund money in 2010/2011. The city worked with YouthBank UK and an in-house grants team to set up its own local YouthBank, which handles about 200 applications a year.
How are applications dealt with? Jon Rea, Nottingham City Council's strategic lead for engagement and participation, says the city's youth opportunity and youth capital fund panel has adopted an intensive, youth-led process that involves micro-management and very close scrutiny of applications.
One key lesson the panel has learned is that there is a big reward attached to scrutinising applications. "It pays off because you get really good applications," says Rea.
As the panel has grown in sophistication, it has started to look increasingly at the city's Children and Young People's Plan to inform its priorities, along with its own growing local knowledge.
It discovered, for example, that while it was giving out small amounts for work such as kitchen refurbishments, it was proving hard to get large-scale capital bids.
The panel decided to work with the youth service and back the city's youth centre transformation plan, investing in major projects as a funding partner.
How has it benefited young people's projects? Not only has it benefited the young people involved as grant makers, says Rea, but young people in the funded projects have been motivated to get more involved.
It has shone a spotlight on good practice and benefited projects that are strong on participation.
What innovations have been introduced? In addition to the main programme, a scheme called Cashpot has been set up. The scheme provides up to £1,000 to fund projects at traditionally busy times of the year, such as the summer holidays and over Christmas.
It has also helped to devolve decision-making further by creating three locality YouthBanks for the north, centre and south of the city, which each have budgets of £25,000.
"It's less intimidating," says Rea. "There are still requirements to meet, but there has been a recognition from the panel that not all young people are ready to immerse themselves in the process of making a major bid."
What are the challenges? Rea feels strongly that young people should not be set up to fail, nor should they be made to take the difficult decisions that adults don't want to.
In financially straitened times, the youth opportunity fund panel has funded groups that probably would not have obtained funding elsewhere. This can put panel members under a lot of pressure.
"We have to be very careful not to overexpose young decision makers," says Rea. "We have to keep a focus on their development."
What is happening next? Now that participation has been made one of the key themes for Nottingham's new children's trust, it is hoped to move beyond grantmaking into developing young people into the commissioners of services.
The lessons learned through the youth opportunity fund have helped the authority to replace static models such as shadow boards with more active involvement at all levels, says Rea.
WHERE THE MONEY WENT
Sneinton Boxing Club Young people in Sneinton were fed up with hanging around the streets and wanted something to do on a Friday night. Fortunately, they had a bit of a legend on their doorstep in the form of boxer Jawaid Khaliq, former IBO welterweight world champion. With support from local youth workers, they were able to gain funding through the youth opportunity fund and involved Khaliq, who now runs a boxing and fitness academy, in setting up Friday night boxing sessions at the Wild Cat Arena. Saqib Mahmood, 15, says: "Boxing keeps me off the streets, keeps me busy and increases my confidence and fitness. It also gives me leadership skills. At the end of the session you feel refreshed and good about yourself."
The Sycamore Centre Gym Ten members of the Sycamore youth club, based in the St Ann's area of Nottingham, put together a proposal and bid for £10,000 of youth opportunity fund cash to create a new gym. Youth worker Chevalier Douglas says: "None of the young people could afford the fees at gyms around the city and they were really keen on creating their own gym." The new gym has state-of-the-art facilities including stepper machines, exercise bikes, a running machine and weights. An instructor was also on hand to train people in using the equipment. The new gym attracts up to 60 young people a night to the club, which also offers sports, martial arts, computer access and sexual health advice.
Beats and Brains 2 Funding of £30,000 from the youth opportunity fund and Mediabox helped the Beats and Brains 2 group write and produce a film promoting sexual health and responsibility in relationships. About 5,000 copies of Trust Me have been distributed across schools, youth clubs and sexual health clinics in the city. Lead actor Kennedy Banton, 16, says: "We hope young people will get the message to always take precautions. My character has an eye for the ladies, but I hope people learn from his mistakes." Several cast members are hoping to gain film careers and Kennedy has auditioned for Bafta-winning local film maker Shane Meadows. The film features local music talent supported by music producer Joe Buddha.