- Area:
- Wales
- Programme:
- Young People's Fund Reaching Out
- Release date:
- 10 1 2008
Youngsters from various cultures, backgrounds and abilities in Wales will learn valuable new skills and will open doors to a fantastic range of opportunities and experiences, thanks to grants of over £1.3 million from the Big Lottery Fund.
Youngsters across the country are rejoicing following the news that they are set to benefit from a grand total of £1,332,797, awarded to a range of projects through BIG’s Young People’s Fund. Eight projects will benefit from money awarded under the £6.2 million ‘Reaching Out’ programme, which aims to support disengaged young people in Wales, particularly those in disadvantaged communities.
Highlighting the importance of the Reaching Out programme, Big Lottery Fund Wales Committee member and Chair of the Young People’s Fund Committee, Mike Theodoulou, said: “BIG has been very active in supporting young people in Wales over the years and I have no doubt that the projects we have funded today will have wide-reaching benefits for hundreds of young people from various communities and backgrounds in Wales.”
After ending 2007 on a high by scooping up £49,100 of lottery cash on the People’s Millions competition, the Bryncynon Community Revival Strategy Ltd in Rhondda Cynon Taff now kick start 2008 on an even bigger high, thanks to their award of £112,517 under Reaching Out. The money will be splashed on a project that will help young people make a successful transition from childhood to their teens and, in the longer term, from their teens to adulthood. The project will employ a worker to engage them in youth forums, educational and outdoor activities.
In Blaenau Gwent, an award of £206,196 will allow Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council to run a project to engage young people, aged 13-18 who are deemed to be disengaged, in positive activities through a 'reward' scheme. Young people will gain credits through particpating in community activities or meeting goals on their personal development plans. Credits will be redeemed in exchange for various leisure activities.
Youngsters in Caerphilly will be all talk thanks to an award of £40,810 to Menter Iaith Sir Caerffili. The project is to develop and run a programme of activities through the medium of Welsh, including volunteering opportunities, advice and support, educational workshops and a variety of activities within local communities, for young people in the area.
Two awards amounting to over £340,000 benefit youngsters in North Wales. With their award of £169,691, the Welsh Housing Aid Ltd will recruit disadvantaged young people who have experienced homelessness in Wrexham, Denbighshire and Flintshire, and support and train them to gain OCNs in peer education, groupwork and communication skills. In another project focusing on Flintshire, Barnardo's will spend their award of £171,894 on supporting children and young people aged 10-19 by providing a number of interventions to prevent and reduce the negative outcomes they are at risk of experiencing as a result of parental substance misuse.
The Counties of Neath-Port Talbot (NPT) and Swansea also have reasons to celebrate. With the £183,638 they received the Tros Gynnal organisation in Neath Port Talbot will provide a programme of support for young people who are experiencing emotional health difficulties. It will include cognitive therapy, advice, signposting, training, group activities such as art therapy, work experience and introduction to various activities of interest.
A grant of £222,163 will also allow the Down To Earth Project to offer an 'appropriate education' programme combining traditional skills with wilderness therapy for youngsters from Swansea and NPT who are aged 14-18 and are, or at risk of becoming excluded and/or offending.
Learning new skills also take centre stage in Newport. Urban Circle Productions will spend their award of £225,888 on a project to promote life long learning and inclusiveness using technology to enable young people of various cultures, backgrounds and abilities to build confidence, gain new skills and express themselves through the medium of creative arts (eg music, dance) and multi-media. The grant, over three years, will fully fund radio & broadcasting equipment, DJ equipment, PA system and computer equipment.
For further information about the Big Lottery Fund and how your group can apply for funding, log onto the Big Lottery Fund website www.biglotteryfund.org.uk.
For further information about the projects, and contact details for the groups and organisations involved, please contact the Big Lottery Fund press office on the numbers below.
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 02920 678 207
Out of hours contact: 07760171431
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone: 845 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:
- In Wales, the Big Lottery Fund is rolling out close to £1 million a week in Lottery good cause money, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across Wales most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
- The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was 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 £20 billion has now been raised and more than 250,000 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
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