- Area:
- London
- Programme:
- Reaching Communities
- Release date:
- 19 3 2013
More than £2million in Lottery good cause funding is being invested into projects in the capital today – including two initiatives working directly with young people to help them into paid work.
Ten London projects today share £2.3m from the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities programme which aims to help those most in need and build stronger communities.
Volunteer Centre Westminster receives £268,447 to provide a programme of mentoring, training, volunteering and work experience to young people aged 16 to 25 living in Westminster. As well as mentoring from professionals and access to work placements, young people will receive training and support in job search techniques, interview skills, motivation, telephone skills, making presentations and other key skills.
Gareth Owen, Chief Executive, Volunteer Centre Westminster said: “Volunteer centre Westminster is delighted to have secured grant funding from the Big Lottery Fund to enable it to build up on its existing successful Lottery funded Volemploy employability mentoring project, by focusing specifically on young unemployed people in the borough. Youth unemployment is a huge problem in parts of Westminster, leading to other social issues. We are therefore eager to commence work on this new and exciting programme as soon as possible.”
Comments from young people previously mentored through Volunteer Centre Westminster include: "I want to thank my mentor for her patience....her valuable advice helped me cope with the stress of being a job-seeker in this depressed job market. Her empathy towards my situation and her genuine interest in my wellbeing gave me the strength I needed to carry on without feeling desperate or left out.”
And: “I struggled for over three years after graduating from university to find permanent work and through this mentoring programme I was matched with a fantastic mentor who believed in me and gave me hope when I was feeling down and stressed about finding work.”
There will be a particular focus on young people from deprived areas, ethnic minority groups and individuals struggling to enter or remain in the work place. Young people will be referred to the scheme from a range of local youth support providers to help them prepare for work, apprenticeships, work placements or further education. The project will then refer young people on to local employment organisations and mainstream education providers after they have completed their development plans.
The project will also provide volunteer mentoring opportunities for employees and professional people who are prepared to devote time to pass on their knowledge and skills to help address unemployment. Professional people from a range of different backgrounds will be trained and supported to become mentors and be matched with one or more unemployed young people. The project will also increase capacity for local voluntary groups, enabling them to deliver their local services more effectively and strengthen communities by providing work placement opportunities for young people.
Business and Education London South secures £212,496 to continue and expand an existing project to improve the motivation, confidence, self-esteem and social skills of unemployed 16 to 19 year olds in Croydon. A personal development and pre-employment programme will be run to include literacy and numeracy training.
Daily one-to-one advice and guidance on education, employment and training will take place alongside weekly job club workshops for job searching, CV writing, job application form filling, improvement of business knowledge and communication and social skills.
Film and music production, street art workshops, producing newsletters and football training will all be offered to help maintain interaction and engagement with the project.
The project works closely with organisations including South London Business, London Apprenticeship Company and Croydon College Apprenticeship Team. These links will help pave the way for young people to enter jobs, apprenticeships and work based learning.
Alison Rowe, Big Lottery Fund spokeswoman for London, said: “I am really pleased we are able to award such a significant sum of money – more than £2m in Lottery good cause cash – to projects in the capital this month. At a time when young people in particular are struggling to get into employment, it is vital that we support schemes such as those run by Volunteer Centre Westminster and Business and Education London South so they can continue providing practical help to move young people forwards in their lives.”
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours media contact: 07867 500 572
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
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Notes to Editors
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since its inception in June 2004 BIG has awarded close to £6 bn.
• The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £29 billion has now been raised and more than 383,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
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