Youth work office space scheme gets funding boost
Neil Puffett
Friday, November 2, 2012
An initiative that gives young people the opportunity to set up youth projects and businesses in disused office spaces has received a funding injection.
Livity, a youth-led media and communications agency, has been awarded £50,000, to expand its somewhereto_ initiative. The UK-wide project helps young people find a space to set up sport, culture and arts projects, or run a business.
The cash, which is part of a £10m Cabinet Office fund distributed by charity Nesta, will be used to improve the way young people access the service – allowing them to book an empty space on their computer or mobile phone, using so-called “match-making” software.
So far, the project has managed to “unlock” 300,000sq ft of space across the UK, with the equivalent of approximately £2m in rental value.
Currently 6,000 young people use the service directly. Project director Anna Hamilos said improvements to the way young people access the service will lead to more young people using it.
“We know young people want to get their information more quickly so this will allow them to arrange to use space straight away rather than going through central support,” she said.
She added that young people gain a range of benefits from the initiative. “We used to just think it was about unlocking space for them, but as part of the process they get to meet people with similar ambitions – people who they would never have met before," she said.
“It helps them grow both their confidence and their skills as well. It started off with them wanting to find a space to do something fun, but it is increasingly around setting up businesses for themselves.”