Visiting a youth project in one of Scotland’s most deprived communities, Justice Secretary, Michael Matheson has announced over a £700,000 boost for disadvantaged young people across the country.
In this latest round of funding in the Year of Young People, YouthLink Scotland, on behalf of Scottish Government, has awarded over £717,886 of CashBack funding. This money will go to 227 organisations within the youth work sector to deliver a whole range of projects for over 12,000 young people in local communities.
The programme in Scotland, the only one of it’s kind in the UK, is celebrating it’s tenth anniversary. Since 2008 over £11 million through the CashBack Youth Work Fund has benefited projects across all 32 local councils in Scotland.
Year of Young People is all about celebrating all of Scotland’s youth generation. This new cash will give life-changing opportunities to thousands of young people who live with challenging circumstances.
Launching the latest round of funding at Royston Youth Action, which is in one of the nation’s most deprived communities, Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Michael Matheson, said:
“With this money we are supporting Scotland’s most disadvantaged young people to reach their full potential in life, helping them learn new skills and boost their confidence.
“On my visit to Royston Youth Action I was delighted to meet young people benefitting from our CashBack initiative and this latest round of funding will tackle inequalities in our communities helping make Scotland a fairer and more inclusive society.
“Since 2008 CashBack has provided over £92 million of support to communities and I am delighted to see this unique Scottish programme celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2018, our Year of Young People.”
Gillian Lithgow, National Programmes Development Manager for YouthLink Scotland commented:
“This fund is so important, as youth workers are often at the frontline of dealing with the impact of poverty and deprivation on young people. Those organisations that receive money through CashBack say it is a lifeline for their services in times of austerity. And it is through this vital youth work services, through the power these opportunities and creative experiences that young people realise there is a positive path in life and they can achieve their ambitions despite difficult circumstances they may face.”
One young person, aged 23, who has benefited from the work of Royston Youth Action said life would be very different without the support of local youth workers:
“Life was hard, I had self confidence issues about coming out of school without qualifications. I
ended up homeless and my situation too me down some dark paths. Through my own efforts I got a place on a Prince’s Trust programme and through working hard got onto a Snow Camp
programme as a volunteer. That’s where I met the staff from Royston Youth Action. Since then I gained a place on a Gap Programme funded through the Rank Foundation. This support allowed me to complete my Community Learning and Development Diploma. Now I am here as a paid full-time member of staff,which is great.”
CashBack for Communities Youth Work Fund programme will support the Scottish Government’s
aim to tackle inequalities by provide diversionary youth work activities for young people ages 10
to 24 years old who face one or more forms of disadvantage.
The fund is administrated and delivered by the National Agency for Youth Work, YouthLink Scotland on behalf of Scottish Government.
The CashBack for Communities Youth Work Fund is a targeted fund and is available to any project that aims to engage young people in exciting, challenging and developmental youth opportunities in areas of deprivation across Scotland.
CashBack for Communities is a Scottish Government programme which takes funds recovered from the proceeds of crime and invests them into free activities and programmes for young people across Scotland.
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