Youth Funds?
Youth Funds are available for every teenager
living in England
‘Youth Funds’ is the name given to the Youth Opportunity Fund and Youth Capital Fund. If you’re between 13 and 19 years old and you want to see things improve in your neighbourhood, then Youth Funds are for you. There’s £115m to make better activities for teenagers in England – and you can be part of it.
Money for your ideas
When the government did a survey about local facilities for young people in 2005, teenagers agreed that they’d like to have a bigger say in what projects were given the go ahead. So to make sure that your voice is heard, the Youth Opportunity and Youth Capital Funds have been introduced, giving teens the opportunity to give their local facilities a bit of a makeover.
There’s £115m in Youth Funds, and it’s all got to be spent by March 2008. Here are the best bits:
• you come up with the ideas
• young people like you decide who gets what
• your local authority has got to spend Youth Fund money on projects for teenagers in your area
The money is there to help 13 -19 year olds in England just like you, to:
• take a lead role in improving youth facilities
• enjoy your life and spare time
• learn new skills that look great on a CV or college application form
You apply for Youth Funds through your local authority - it doesn’t matter who you are, everyone can have their say and get involved.
All you need to do is show how your project can improve your area, fill in the application pack and send it in to your local authority (don’t forget to check the ‘funding conditions’ – ie ‘small print’ to make sure your idea qualifies).
If everyone in your group is under 18, you may need to have an adult to sign the form.
Who decides who gets the money?
Youth Funds are available for every teenager living in England.
Young people also get to decide where the money goes. Some local authorities have set up panels of teenagers from their area to help choose the best projects. Others are asking all young people in their area what they think the money should be spent on.
Your local authority will have a ‘Youth Funds co-ordinator’, or ‘YOF co-ordinator’ working for them. They will be able to tell you how the decision in your area will be made. If you want to get involved in your local Youth Panel, find out how other members think they’ve benefited by watching a video.
What’s in it for me?
Don’t worry if you’ve never done anything like this before. Coming up with a project idea and plan involves a number of people and you can decide how much responsibility you want to take on.
What’s good about Youth Funds is that you can get together with your mates and work out what’s missing in your area. You can have a say in what activities and facilities are needed, get involved and see your plan come to life.
If you know your neighbourhood could do with a few improvements, but struggling to come up with a specific idea, have a look at our real-life examples pages to see what projects are already running around the country and how Youth Fund money has helped them.
What does YOF and YCF stand for?
YOF stands for the Youth Opportunity Fund - YOF money is usually awarded to the projects themselves and the money can be used to buy equipment.
YCF stands for the Youth Capital Fund. YCF projects tend to be larger in size than YOF ones, and help to pay for the buildings and facilities that each project needs, as opposed to the cost of running a project.
You don’t need to worry about the terms; the most important thing is to come up with a top idea and get in contact with your local authority. Their Youth Funds co-ordinator will be able to help you with. LS
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