International Youth Day sees £4m funding boost announced for #iwill Fund
Melanie May | 12 August 2021 | News
The Government is to invest an additional £2 million into the #iwill Fund, to be matched by The National Lottery Community Fund, to create thousands of new volunteering, social action and community activities for young people.
The announcement was made today, International Youth Day, by Minister for Civil Society and Youth Baroness Barran.
Since its 2016 launch, the #iwill Fund has created more than 650,000 opportunities for young people led by hundreds of programmes across the country, with a particular focus on benefiting those from disadvantaged backgrounds. To do so, it has used a £54 million joint investment between the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and The National Lottery Community Fund, in collaboration with over thirty funders.
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Projects supported by the #iwill Fund include:
- UK Youth, British Red Cross and Young Women’s Trust, which is delivering a programme called EmpowHER, enabling girls and young women to change their communities, increase their self-esteem and supporting their wellbeing by providing inclusive and meaningful social action opportunities.
- Young Minds in Haringey, London is delivering a new approach to increasing social action amongst boys aged 10-14 from black and minority ethnic communities, with ‘Action to Achieve’. Year 7 pupils across five school ‘hubs’ are being trained and supported by teachers to deliver after-school and lunchtime social action projects within the local community.
- Leonard Cheshire Disability is empowering young disabled people with their ‘Can Do Sport’ project. The project specifically targets a younger age group, under-represented in social action, where a need has been identified for earlier intervention.
The funding announcement was made by Baroness Barran during a series of visits to mark International Youth Day. This included a visit to Urban Foxes, a project by Leicester City’s charitable arm Leicester City in the Community, which engages young people through urban sports such as skateboarding, parkour and BMX. The project is offered by Premier League, which have match-funded £1.5 million into the #iwill Fund.
Minister for Civil Society and Youth Baroness Barran said:
“I’m acutely aware of how the pandemic has impacted the lives of young people, and I can reassure them that it’s a Government priority to ensure they are supported and given access to opportunities that can help them develop and grow.
“I’m delighted that an additional £4 million will now be added to the £50 million we have provided to this important fund, which means even more young people can make a positive difference in their communities whilst developing their own unique skills and knowledge.
“It was also fantastic to see the work the Premier League and Leicester City in the Community are carrying out with the Urban Foxes programme to help young people get into sport this summer. I encourage everyone to explore the opportunities on offer to rediscover summer safely with their families.”
David Knott, Interim Chief Executive at The National Lottery Community Fund, said:
“The work of the #iwill Fund has had an incredible impact on young people, empowering them to design and deliver projects that will benefit their peers, their communities and young people of the future. Thanks to National Lottery players and Government funding, this additional £4 million investment will provide even more opportunities and enable young people to help their communities build back from COVID, prosper and thrive.”
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.