YOUTH PROJECTS across the country will receive a £12 million boost as part of the Government’s commitment to help young people thrive and level up opportunities, Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan announced on Friday (October 25).

The investment includes up to £7 million for a Youth Accelerator Fund that will expand existing successful projects, and address urgent needs in the youth sector by delivering extra sessions in youth clubs, and promoting positive activities in sport and the arts to help young people develop skills and contribute to their communities.

Young people will play a key role in decisions over funding allocation by working directly with policy makers to ensure activities properly meet their needs.

A further £5 million of Government funding will also be invested in the #iwill Fund to encourage 10 to 20 year olds to take part in social action, such as volunteering in their communities by funding groups delivering these programmes.

Jointly funded by Government and the National Lottery Community Fund, the #iwill Fund has created over 500,000 opportunities for young people since it was launched in 2016.

The funding boost is additional investment and comes after the Chancellor recently announced a new £500 million Youth Investment Fund for the five years from April 2020, to give young people somewhere to go, something positive to do and someone to speak to.

Nicky Morgan, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: “I have big ambitions for what this government can achieve for young people – inspiring them to grow in confidence and employability, building their character and resilience, while transforming life chances through sports and the arts.

“We will use this immediate investment to benefit young people in as many local areas as possible. This will pave the way for the ambitious, long-term infrastructure plans for our youth services that we will deliver over the next five years – led by the views of young people and those that work with them.

“If we wish to use all the great talent in our country it is vital that we offer opportunities to our next generation, not just in school but outside the school day.”

Half of the £500 million Youth Investment Fund will be used to fund new youth centres, refurbish existing facilities and create more mobile clubs. The remainder will be invested in a range of activities that teach important life skills, such as digital skills, culture, sport and social action as well as investment in the youth work profession so young people have a trusted person they can turn to.

This will all be underpinned by the establishment of new Local Youth Partnerships across the country, designed to effectively coordinate and sustain local youth activities.

As part of the Government’s commitment to the youth sector, it is investing £500,000 this year in a new Youth Worker Bursary Fund to attract youth workers from a variety of backgrounds. Hundreds of students, who otherwise would not be able to pay the fees, will be given places on approved level 2 and level 3 youth worker qualifications.