The National Youth Agency - e-youthaction - no.41

e-youthaction - no.41 - September 2008

1 Sep 2008
Includes announcements from Beverley Hughes regarding positive youth activities funding.

FUNDING

Also of interest...

Children's Minister Beverley Hughes has announced £4.5m funding to support positive youth activities in areas such as adventure, arts, and media projects. Funding will also be used to give young people the opportunity to attend community cohesion themed camps and mainstream summer camps. The projects will be delivered by the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) Do it 4 Real and the Youth Media Fund Mediabox in 2008.

The government’s £130 million Grassroots Grants scheme is offering small local voluntary and community groups grants of between £250 and £5,000 to support activities that lie at the heart of local communities. The money is being distributed through local organisations – details can be found on the CDF website or by calling the Grassroots Grants helpline on 01223 400 331.

Kick It Out and the Football Foundation are joining forces to award a series of grants to groups who wish to use sport to tackle discrimination and exclusion. Grants of up to £1,000 are being made available to groups across Britain as part of the forthcoming One Game, One Community weeks of action, taking place in October. The deadline for applications is Thursday 11 September 2008.

The Princes Trust Community Cash Awards is offering grants of between £250 and £5,000 to help young people to set up a project that will benefit their community. The Awards are open to anyone aged 14 to 16 who is in school but struggling, or those aged 16 to 25 who are unemployed or working less than 16 hours a week. Funding of up to £1,000 is available for 14–16 year olds; 16–25 year olds can obtain up to £5,000.

RESEARCH

A report by Volunteering England into the impact volunteering can have on health finds that volunteering could help people live longer and is good for their health and well-being. The report, compiled by the University of Wales Lampeter, also finds that volunteering has a positive effect on people’s self-esteem, helps to reduce the number of hospital visits, and can beat depression.

PARTICIPATION

Young people taking part in Youth Opportunity/Capital Fund panels have seen their confidence and social skills soar, their behaviour improve and their standing in the community increase, according to the second and final phase evaluation report. Key findings show 100% of LA staff agreed that panel members had benefited socially; 99% agreed that panel members’ team working and decision making skills had improved; and 98% said that the young people involved in the decision-making panel had done a good job. In response to a number of recommendations in the report, a Good Practice Guide which provides a range of good ideas from different local authorities on how to operate the Funds and engage young people most effectively has also been published.

AWARDS

The British Red Cross is now inviting nominations for the annual 2008 Humanitarian Citizen Awards. The awards are open to individual or groups of young people aged 25 or under who have made a positive impact to the lives of others. Further information and nomination form available online.

Nominations are still open for the Philip Lawrence Awards 2008. The awards reward outstanding achievements in good citizenship by young people aged 11 to 20. The focus is on exemplary activities where young people work together, promoting citizenship and overcoming the difficult situations some young people face. Winning groups receive a cash prize of £1,000 to invest in their award winning activity. The closing date for nominations is Friday 12 September 2008.

Nominations are still being accepted for Youth Action Network’s ‘Makin’ it Real’ Awards 2008. The awards are open to young volunteers and workers who have made a positive difference to their local communities. Winning groups receive a prize of up to £1,000 cash towards their project. The closing date for nominations is Friday 31 October 2008.

Nominations are now being invited for the Unboxed Awards 2008. The Awards recognise outstanding projects that achieve ambitious objectives in their work with young people using original and imaginative approaches that could be replicated and developed elsewhere. Winners share prize money totalling £4,000 to enable them to build on their achievements or take on new challenges that they have identified. The closing date for entries is Friday 26 September 2008.

VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT

The UK Workforce Hub has published a new set of standards for the management of volunteers. The new National Occupational Standards will support those with responsibility for developing and implementing a volunteer strategy.

CAMPAIGNING

Channel 4 has launched a new project to help young people get their voices heard as they campaign about issues they care about. Battlefront will work with 20 inspiring campaigners, aged 14-21, to help them spread their message, gather supporters and make change happen. They will get top mentors, expert advice, their own website and a Channel 4 TV series. So far, 19 campaigners have been chosen. The 20^th campaigner will be selected via an online competition. Any UK resident aged 14-21 with a great idea and the motivation to run a campaign for at least six months should apply. The campaigns with the most public votes will be put forward to the Battlefront judges in October. The deadline for entries is Wednesday 1 October 2008.

RESOURCES

A new online toolkit supports teachers to encourage pupils to play an active role in community projects has been developed by the Academy for Sustainable Communities and CSV. The Play your Part website aims to inspire young people to play a part in improving their communities and develop the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to devise and run successful citizen projects.

COMMUNITY COHESION

Has your organisation developed volunteering opportunities that contribute to the community cohesion agenda? From street level sporting events to specific activity designed to prevent violent extremism, volunteering projects have a lot to offer.

The NYA Youth Action team is keen to hear from projects willing to contribute their experiences to a six month project developing materials on community cohesion for use in youth work and other informal education settings. Contact Emma Shuttlewood to find out more about the project and how you could share your observations and experiences.