10m boost for youth volunteer training
Neil Puffett
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Funding of 10m to train thousands of new volunteer leaders for youth groups like the Scouts, Girlguiding UK and Police Cadets has been announced by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles.
The money will go to Youth United – a coalition of the major youth volunteering organisations – to recruit and train up 2,700 new adult volunteers over the next two and a half years to run 400 new youth groups.
The government said it would mean more than 10,000 additional young people would be able to join a pack or troop.
Pickles said: "Scouts, Guides and the Cadets have a tremendously proud and successful history of giving young people the kind of fun, life skills and experiences they can’t get anywhere else.
"They rely on the goodwill and dedication of trained adult volunteers to provide this community service, which brings young people of all backgrounds and beliefs together.
"Over 1.5 million young people are regularly involved but many more want to join – with more volunteer leaders needed to bring waiting lists down – every young person in the country should have the chance to participate if they want to.
"The help we are giving today will mean Youth United groups can train a new generation of local volunteers to run a new cub pack or guiding patrol and make all the difference in fifteen communities that face some significant challenges".
The areas identified where the money can have the biggest impact are: Birmingham, Bradford, Knowsley, Hackney, Haringey, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newham, Redbridge, Rochdale and Tower Hamlets.
Additionally, four areas that will be targeted as HRH The Prince of Wales’s priority areas for helping young people - the Broadwater Farm Estate in Tottenham, Burnley, Burslem, in Stoke-on-Trent, and Redcar.
Rod Jarman, chair of the Youth United board, said: "This is a wonderful opportunity for us to make a significant difference in youth provision in a number of areas across England.
"We now have a real chance to engage more adults and let them experience and gain from volunteering to help others and to identify new ways of working to provide good accommodation from which the units can work."
