Member Article

Teesside youths control new £400,000 windfall

A Teesside council wants young people to have a major role in deciding how to distribute over £400,000 in grants over the next two years. The money has been given to Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council under two funding streams. The cash is to be spent on activities that benefit young people in the Borough. The two Government funding streams, aimed at 13-19 year olds, are the Youth Opportunity Fund, worth £108,021 each year, and the Youth Capital Fund, which offers £93,429 for each of the two years.The Council’s Cabinet Member for Education Councillor Steve Kay said: “We want these funds to help change the way we and our partners provide activities and provision for young people. “The whole process will give young people the chance to take on a variety of roles - decision-makers, grant-givers, project leaders and project monitors and evaluators. “The strength of this initiative will be down to the inclusion and participation of partners and young people.“The Council’s Principal Youth Officer Rod Weston-Bartholomew explained: “One of the most important aspects is to make sure the process is all-inclusive. We want a focus on engaging young people from the more disadvantaged areas and from marginalised groups.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .