Youth in Focus

Young people’s voices “ money issues are a key thing for me” “the right kind of support is really important to me” “ forming relationships can be a problem – this can lead to falling in with the wrong crowd” “someone to care and make me a cuppa” “ the key workers that support me don’t always seem to talk to each other” “ I need help to get a job, support, counselling and a place to live” “being in a youth network helps me feel involved. I have influence”

What is Youth in Focus (YiF)? BIG’s new £30m targeted fund in England Supporting young people to make positive life transitions Looking to support targeted groups of young people

Key factors Young people at the heart Most grants in region of £500k - £1m (revenue) Partnerships led by voluntary & community sector organisations 3 England-wide learning & awareness awards

Targeted young people Young carers Helping these young people between the ages of 10 and 25 to be heard, and get better access to practical advice and services that can support their day to day lives

Targeted young people Young people leaving care Supporting these young people between the ages of 15 and 25, so they get better access to education, housing, healthcare and employment advice and services

Targeted young people Young people leaving youth offenders’ institutions Helping these young people between the ages of 15 and 25 to develop their life skills and get better access to services, particularly young men with learning difficulties and young women

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Programme outcomes improve their confidence, skills and knowledge….. so they can better deal with the life events that affect them provide more effective support that is joined up with other services….. so they can tackle challenges better

YiF principles active participation of young people track record & expertise form a VCS-led partnership effectively identify and target young people share learning sustain impacts focus on outcomes

More about the 3 larger ‘England wide’ projects... We plan to make 3 awards of up to £1.5 million each for England-wide Learning and Awareness projects that: –Raise public awareness of the issues affecting the young people targeted by YiF –Enhance policy and influence –Focus on evaluation and research Creating a link between these projects and other YiF projects

What won’t get funded Project that fail to engage young people Projects that work with a range of young people outside the 3 groups and/or do not target these groups effectively Statutory funded activity Projects led by organisations without a track record with these client groups Project that do not have plans to evaluate and share their impact

Example 1 Inner-city farm project offers activities to all young people living in a deprived borough of London A small number of beneficiaries may be young carers or young people leaving care Young people gain skills and confidence Young people play a lead role in the project and decide on roles, tasks and events Will this be funded?

Example 2 A charity offering life skills training, which works in partnership with a group of Youth Offending Teams Beneficiaries receive training and regular counselling sessions for one month before and six months after release Young people gain skills and confidence that help them to secure training or employment Young people are at the focus of the sessions but are not involved in design or evaluation of the project Will this be funded?

Example 3 Dance and music workshops will be offered to young carers Young carers will decide the content of the workshops and lead productions Young people have been consulted at all stages and will monitor success The project is led by a dance school with limited experience of working with young carers Local authority partner will make referrals to the project and provide publicity Will this be funded?

Key dates July to September 2010 YiF launched with programme guide and Q&A Briefing events and application form available November 2010 Closing date for applications 2pm, 30 November 2010 May 2011 Decisions announced Young people involved in decision making June to November 2011 Business plans and development funding Projects start

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Demand is high Consider the scale and reach of your project Our focus will be on young people most in need We’ll only be able to fund around 30 projects across England Targeted and excellent delivery

Youth in Focus Question Time

Key messages ….around 30 awards in total is YiF the right funding for your work? Work together and create strong partnerships Identify clear evidence of need and involve young people Apply for what you need (rather than the maximum available)

Next steps Complete the networking form today Take a look at the application form and consider the criteria Contact us with queries: Review the revised Q & A on website in early October

Youth in Focus