Cotswold Young People swoops £290,000 lottery investment
Young people in the Cotswolds are set to benefit from a range of new opportunities and activities over the next three years thanks to a national lottery application submitted by a partnership of youth organisations working in the Cotswolds.
The application led by youth & community organisation World Jungle and including key partners Community Mentoring & Support Service (CMASS), inclusion charity Active Impact, Tetbury Area Youth & Community Trust and Black Cat Community Café will give young people new opportunities for development, support and recreation.
The project called ’Cotswold Youth’ will include mentoring support for young people at risk of exclusion in schools, support to youth clubs, summer activities aimed at those making the transition from primary to secondary, leadership and work experiences as well as training and support for organisations and individuals who support young people.
Ben Ward, World Jungle Director, says: “We are absolutely delighted by the news. Young people in the Cotswold miss out on a whole range of experiences and opportunities due to the rural nature of the district that other young people in the county take for granted. Also with the impact of lockdown, school closures and loss of other key services, young people are finding life harder than ever and we must mobilise youth services as soon as we can safely do so.
“We really hope that we can work alongside young people to identify activities and support they feel they need; be it training, more things to do, work experience and much more. We'd love to get young people involved in deciding how we design the programme and in promoting opportunities to those around the district and would love to hear from young people keen to be involved from the start.”
The project, also supported by Cotswold District Council and the Cotswold Youth Network, has been over ten months in development.
Cllr Tony Dale, Cabinet Member for Skills and Young People at Cotswold District Council, says: “This is the most exciting development we have seen for young people in the Cotswolds since the New Leadership was elected to Council in 2019. It successfully brings together Youth Organisations, Local Activity Partnerships, Council providers, businesses and schools to benefit the young people who most need to develop these skills.
“World Jungle has taken a huge leap in winning this bid to provide our Communities across the Cotswolds with mentoring, teaching, experience, learning and activity practice to promote a whole generation of new leaders from amongst our Young People. Well done Ben and Jane! A mega thank you to all our local volunteers and council officers who have helped to make this happen.”
The Cotswold Youth Network which is made up of voluntary and community organisations, district, town and parish councils, sports clubs, arts provider, play organisations and housing associations all committed to improving the lives of young people and this group will be key to ensure the widest number of young people benefit and hear about the opportunities.
The difference we hope our project will make:
- Over 700 young people, each year will take part in a meaningful and participatory process exploring their experiences of growing up in the Cotswolds. This will be shared with over 50 key stakeholders throughout the year and through an annual Youth Voice event bringing young people, youth organisations and decision-makers together to respond directly to their concerns and issues.
- Over 600 young people, each year will take part in high-quality inclusive youth sessions. Young people will benefit from weekly youth sessions, unique & special youth holiday experiences and support to see their ideas through.
- 40 organisations and individuals will be more resilient, more strategic and better placed to support young people as a result of direct training on issues such as fundraising, committee development, consulting with young people and inclusion by the end of the project.
- 30 Young People will be supported to develop leadership skills in an area of their choice across the life of the project.
- 20 Youth organisations are more inclusive and have received the Inclusion Award each year.
- 10 youth-led projects will be supported to take their ideas forward each year through a budget held by the partnership.
- 10 communities will be strengthened by having regular inclusive youth opportunities which meet the needs of all young people by the end of the project.
- The Cotswold Youth Network will be a youth-led, strategic, influential and well-resourced partnership with a strong focus for the delivery of exceptional youth services in a challenging rural environment.
Details of the programme can be found on the World Jungle website with a link from the ‘What’s On’ page: www.worldjungle.org.uk
For more information, please contact Ben Ward from World Jungle on 07889 512644, email ben@worldjungle.org.uk or visit www.worldjungle.org.uk.
Contact Information
Cotswold District Council Communications Team
Notes to editors
Press Release issued by Cotswold District Council on behalf of World Jungle.
NOTES TO EDITOR:
World Jungle:
World Jungle is an award-winning social enterprise all about bringing people together, creating healthier communities and sharing the best of our world. We have three key activity areas (Creative, Health, Community), fusing culture and creativity, dynamic health and wellbeing, inspiring events and a long term strategic commitment to improving our community and environment. We work to build effective partnerships, connect communities and deliver creative solutions to challenges facing our society. For more information, visit www.worldjungle.org.uk
Partners:
Community Mentoring and Support CiC(CMAS): Providing education, mentoring, support services and youth work to young people throughout the south-west. Key Contacts: Gemma Hall gemma.hall@communitymas.co.uk
Partnership Funding Key Roles include:
- Recruit and oversee a Participation & Engagement Worker for the Cotswolds
- Manage the participation & engagement plan with young people on behalf of the CYN & work with young people to develop their voice and leadership within the CYN and across other areas. Over 500 young people will have the opportunity to be heard and to influence decisions that affect them
- Providing mentoring support in ten areas each year (9 in school time (3 per term in 3 areas) (1 during the Summer) (100 young people mentored per year)
- Support young people to organise annual youth voice event
- Support other youth organisations in the Cotswolds to develop a strong youth voice and youth leadership opportunities across the Cotswold
- Deliver youth provision in 4 locations each year (matched funding)
- Support up to 20 young people to develop leadership skills
Active Impact: Working to create fun opportunities for disabled and non-disabled young people together
Key Contacts: Nicole Hastie nicole@activeimpact.org.uk
Partnership Funding Key Role:
- To deliver Inclusive Award training for youth providers across the Cotswolds up to 15 per year
- To deliver Inclusion Needs You Training to up to 25 organisations per year
- To provide guidance and advice to the network on how to be inclusive and to ensure as much of our provision and approach is as inclusive as it can be.
- To ensure the voice of disabled young people is included with the CYN
Cotswold District Council: The second-tier local authority in a three-tier system of local authorities in Gloucestershire
Key Contacts: Jaqueline Wright jacqueline.wright@publicagroup.uk
Key Role:
- Provide in-kind support to the network & partnership through officer time, meeting space, and some grant funding opportunities
- To support the CYN to be linked into the wider work of the council
- To help obtain councillor support for the work and to assist with the development of the Youth Champion role
Year 1 Hub Development:
Note: Two areas each year will be supported to develop, stabilise and raise the quality of their provision. Using an ABCD approach this will be directed where there is an asset already in place. Year 1 areas have been identified but Years 2 & 3 will be identified in the course of the project responding to the needs of young people.
Tetbury Area Youth & Community Trust: Aims - To replace the youth service that was withdrawn by Gloucestershire County Council. In the form of financial and management support to provide and fund professionally supervised, well planned recreational, educational and cultural experiences that will elevate young people's life chances and to foster understanding amongst adolescence for the older generation.
Key Contact: Jo Tancock jo.tancock@tayct.org.uk
Key Roles:
- To deliver weekly youth provision in Tetbury throughout Year 1 of the project
- To develop more positive opportunities for young people in Tetbury by working in partnership with other youth organisations and the town council
- To seek young people’s views in Tetbury and to influence the development of a youth council in Tetbury.
- To develop a strong and sustainable model of youth provision in Tetbury with a strong business case and fundraising strategy for the next five years.
Black Cat Community Café: The Black Cat is owned by the Northleach Church & Town Enterprise CIC.
Key contact: Rob Elliot blackcatcommunityworker@gmail.com
The Black Cat has five objectives
- To meet the needs of the whole community of Northleach through the provision of a community café, meeting space and a wide diversity of activities and services
- To be a visible presence for the church in the centre of the town
- To provide employment to local people and especially to give young people in our town a positive and rewarding experience of work
- To operate to high and strict ethical standards in every aspect of the business
- Once profitable, to re-distribute our annual surplus to community organisations in the town