Release Date: 02/05/2008
A £170,000 cash pot allocated by young people to young people for projects and activities in Richmond upon Thames is open for applications.
The Youth Opportunities and Youth Capital Funds, also known as the Pounds 4 Young People programme, offers grants to 13 to 19-year-olds who live, work or study in the borough.
The money is supplied by central government to Richmond Council. Officers from the Youth Service support and advise a panel of young people as they decide which bids to give the money to.
Successful projects last year won funding to build music studios, IT suites and sports areas, study support and educational visits, while others received money for culture and theatre trips.
Grants will be made in three bidding rounds this year, with the deadline for the first round on 19 May. Applications made after this date will be considered in September and December.
The Council’s Integrated Youth Support Service is also appealing for young people to join the decision-making panel. They receive training and support to develop the skills and experience necessary to assess the bids. Over the last two years 46 young people aged 13 to 19 have helped decide where the money is spent.
Cllr John Coombs, Cabinet Member for Youth, Culture and Leisure on Richmond Council, said:
”It is vital young people have more opportunities to take part in positive activities and a greater voice in how money is spent as we work to improve youth services in the borough.
“That is why the Pounds 4 Young People programme has been so successful. It gives 13 to 19-year-olds cash for projects and activities that inspire and excite them but they must first persuade their peers that it will be money well spent.
“I therefore urge groups and individuals tap into this resource, whether it’s for a few hundred pounds to fund trips to the theatre or for much larger grants for IT or studio equipment or to organise an event.
“We are also appealing for more young people to become decision-makers. Council officers will provide support and guidance to a panel of young people as they assess how this money should be spent.”
The programme provided funds to a wide range of bidders last year, including:
All applications must be supported by an adult or professional.
To find out more about applying for a grant or becoming a decision maker, please call Jebba Mitchell on 020 8891 7537 or email yof@richmond.gov.uk. Application forms can also be downloaded from the Pounds 4 Young People page.
Case study
Ben Faulkner, 17, from Barnes, sits on the Pounds 4 Young People panel and helps decide which projects and activities receive funding.
He works full-time at Marks & Spencer in Kew but is a regular at Castelnau Youth Club, where he first heard about the fund. He initially teamed up with friends and made a successful bid for money to set up a homework club. More than a year later, up to 15 young people still meet every Monday evening at the youth club to study.
After hearing that the Council was looking for young people to join the panel, he was keen to get involved.
“After we got the funding for the homework club I thought I would take it one stage further. I went to a training day at York House, which was really informative, and I was picked to join the panel.
“The great thing about the fund is that it’s money for young people, given by young people. While adults may have good intentions they don’t necessarily know what young people want and look at things from a different perspective.
“I’d advise anyone who wants to bid for money to make sure it will benefit 13 to 19-year-olds in the long-term. We do give grants for trips and activities but if an application is for an ongoing project that will make a difference for a number of people, it will have more chance of being successful.
“For example, we’ve given funding to a young mums’ group that meets every week at Orleans House Gallery to do arts activities with their kids and it’s been a big success.
“I really enjoy being on the panel. It gives you the satisfaction of knowing you are making a difference in the borough. Small projects can change young people’s lives and we are helping them get off the ground.”