Disabled youngsters speak up with lottery cash

Area:

North West England

Programme:

Young People's Fund Grants to Organisations

Release date:

6 2 2007

Addressing the social isolation felt by young people who are blind or partially sighted the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) is today awarded £117, 540 for a project across Merseyside to help young people increase their levels of self-esteem and self-confidence by learning vital skills for independent living and mobility.

Through a programme of sports, arts and life skill training, youngsters will have the opportunity to get together with others in a similar situation to enjoy new friendships and social events. The project will include improved knowledge on entitlements to help young people speak up for themselves and gain confidence in their own ability to influence change. The skilled youngsters will then use their experience and training to help other blind or partially sighted young people to enjoy social activities and become more independent.

John Maher, Senior Post-Compulsory Education and Training Officer at RNIB said: “The Big Lottery Fund grant means that RNIB has been given an invaluable opportunity to work more closely with young blind and partially sighted people living in Merseyside who are at risk of social exclusion. The Lottery project will help to increase participation in sport, leisure and cultural activities, amongst blind and partially sighted youngsters, thereby promoting individual well-being, self-confidence, personal development, autonomy and the means to extend their social networks.”

Disadvantaged youngsters across Cheshire, Halton, Warrington and Wirral will soon have a unique opportunity to realise their potential, thanks to a £143,719 award to Youth Federation for an innovative training project. Fedzone, a five-zoned programme, will bring volunteer-led activities to young people in their local communities. The activities will address different issues such as, equality and diversity, health awareness, understanding debt, being creative, and keeping fit and healthy. The programme will also offer youngsters the opportunity to gain accredited awards to help develop their confidence and youth work skills.

Dave Packwood Chief Executive of Youth Federation said:  “The Youth Federation is delighted to have received this award from the Big Lottery Fund. The award presents us with a fantastic opportunity, through the “Fed Zone project” to enable young volunteers to gain new skills and match their commitment and enthusiasm with professionally recognised training and accreditation. We envisage that through this award young people will be able to grow and develop as young adults and in turn pass on their skills to other young people in their communities. A number of them will also be able to develop their skills, knowledge and expertise into a career in working with other children and young people. “

A healthy, safe lifestyle is at the heart of a £45,000 award for a Merseyside scheme to provide young people with formal training to become health advocates across the community. The Healthy Young People’s Project, launched by Groundwork Wirral will train and support young health advocates who will work with young people individually and within youth group sessions to target specific health issues.

Aged between 11 to 17 years old, the young advocates will be engaged through three local high schools to provide a service to those who are at greatest risk of dropping out of the education and employment system through health inequalities.  It is hoped that this project will help shape the type of service that is provided to other young people across the region.

Kate Thomas, Groundwork Development Manager said: “Groundwork is absolutely delighted to have received support from the Big Lottery Young People's Fund for the "Healthy Young People's Project". It is a crucial investment in a project that draws together expertise from a number of organisations including Groundwork, Western Cheshire Primary Care Trust, Cheshire County Council Youth Services and Connexions. The project is youth-led and focussed and aims to enable young people to gain advice and support from other young people who have become "health trainers". The project will be tackling issues of health and well-being for young people in an area of high multiple-deprivation.”

Also awarded grants today are Rossendale M3 Project with £135,286 for a scheme to provide semi permanent accommodation for young homeless people aged between 16 and 25 years old, and North West Regional Youth Work Unit that receives £140,188 to create a series of youth events for young people to raise issues with regional decision makers. While Southport YMCA: The Bridge project receives £117,950 to improve community relationships between younger and older people, and North Cheshire Brookfields "Gym Club" is awarded £46,000 for a project to provide a gymnastics club for young disabled people over 18 years old.

Helen Bullough Big Lottery Fund Head of North West Region said: “This funding will bring about many positive changes for young people living in the North West by helping them get on track towards fulfilling their potential. The Young People’s Fund is all about engaging young people in society by ensuring they have the best opportunities to learn new skills, lead healthy lifestyles and make positive contributions to their communities.”

Further information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours contact: 07867 500 572
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• The Young People’s Fund in England was launched in September 2004. Funding from the Young People’s Fund open grants programme in England can be accessed through three specific strands: £10 million for applications from individuals, £40 million in grants to voluntary organisations/ partnerships, £27.6 million will go to national organisations for large projects.
• The Big Lottery Fund's Board has agreed to allocate a further £100m to the extension of the Young People's Fund programme in England. The money will be allocated in 2006 following a paper to the Big Lottery Fund’s Board that develops the possible options for the extension. These options will be developed to reflect the learning from our current programmes and to compliment the messages of the DfES Youth Green Paper that is to be published soon.
• The Young People’s Fund aims to put young people at the centre of creating, planning and delivering projects to achieve the following:

1. Being healthy: enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle
2. Staying safe: being protected from harm and neglect and growing up able to look after   themselves
3. Enjoying and achieving getting the most out of life and developing the skills for adulthood
4. Making a positive contribution: to the community and society and not offending or behaving anti-socially
5. Economic wellbeing: overcoming disadvantages to achieve their full potential in life.

• The success criteria for this programme include young people’s involvement at every stage of the project from start to finish and the project delivering on at least, two of the five Young People’s Fund programme aims. To be considered applicants will need to demonstrate how they intend to achieve both of these objectives.
• Big Lottery Fund is the joint operating name of the New Opportunities Fund and the National Lottery Charities Board (which made grants under the name of the Community Fund). The Big Lottery Fund, launched on 1 June 2004, is distributing half of all National Lottery good cause funding across the UK.
• The Big Lottery Fund is building on the experience and best practice of the merged bodies to simplify funding in those areas where they overlap and to ensure Lottery funding provides the best possible value for money. To date, the two merged Funds have committed more than £6 billion to initiatives with national, regional and local partners from the public, voluntary, charity and private sectors, with a particular focus on disadvantage.

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