23rd December
£9 Million For Young People To Become Social Entrepreneurs
Children and Young People’s Minister Beverley Hughes today unveiled £9 million for a new scheme to help young people spearhead and deliver ideas for positive activities, helping them at the same time to become young social entrepreneurs.
Funding and practical support will be available for young people to think of new ideas for positive activities, which could be anything from sport to music to art, which they will then deliver in their local communities, on Friday and Saturday nights. Third sector organisations are today invited to bid to run the scheme and support the young people involved
Beverley Hughes, Children and Young People’s Minister, said:
“We know young people want to take part in positive activities which are interesting to them. I hope third sector organisations will bid to help us bring forward exciting opportunities for young people to shape the activities that they want at the times they want them.
“This investment and support will also give young people a chance to develop, essential skills in areas such as business, teamwork and communication – all the skills involved in enterprise.”
The scheme aims to be up and running in the first half of 2009 and will aim to tailor activities as much as possible to the needs of young people. It will give them influence and control over the types of positive activities that emerge within their communities. It will also mean that young people get a chance to become role models and leaders to their peers within their communities.
The new scheme delivers a key commitment of the Aiming high for young people strategy to develop and deliver projects to provide positive activities for young people. As part of this strategy we announced £679 million of funding, which includes investment for positive activities for young people.
The scheme will be developed in line with the OPEN drive, which aims to make sure that young people can access positive activities on Friday and Saturday nights across England.
The investment in positive activities will initially be available in around 50 of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods and communities.
source: DCSF