Government to provide £12m more for youth projects
Melanie May | 28 October 2019 | News
Friday (25 October) saw the government announce £12m for youth projects including a new youth accelerator fund and more money for the #iwill Fund.
Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan announced the investment, which includes up to £7 million for a Youth Accelerator Fund to expand existing successful projects and address urgent needs in the youth sector by delivering extra sessions in youth clubs, and promoting positive activities in sport and the arts.
The Youth Accelerator Fund will be divided between grants for youth projects across England and a place based fund, which will be delivered in partnership with DCMS ‘arm’s length bodies.’
Another £5 million will go to the #iwill Fund to encourage 10 to 20 year olds to take part in social action, such as volunteering in their communities by funding groups delivering these programmes.
Jointly funded by Government and the National Lottery Community Fund, the #iwill Fund has created over 500,000 opportunities for young people since it was launched in 2016.
The news follows the Chancellor’s September announcement of a new £500 million Youth Investment Fund for the five years from April 2020.
Half of the £500 million Youth Investment Fund will be used to fund new youth centres, refurbish existing facilities and create more mobile clubs. The remainder will be invested in a range of activities that teach important life skills, as well as investment in the youth work profession.
This will be underpinned by the establishment of new Local Youth Partnerships across the country, designed to effectively coordinate and sustain local youth activities.
The Government is also investing £500,000 this year in a new Youth Worker Bursary Fund to attract youth workers from a variety of backgrounds, working with the National Youth Agency to renew the entry level qualifications, introducing a level 3 youth work apprenticeship and carrying out a full review of the youth work curriculum.
Nicky Morgan, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said:
“We will use this immediate investment to benefit young people in as many local areas as possible. This will pave the way for the ambitious, long-term infrastructure plans for our youth services that we will deliver over the next five years – led by the views of young people and those that work with them.
“If we wish to use all the great talent in our country it is vital that we offer opportunities to our next generation, not just in school but outside the school day.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.