Grants database

A group of young women (19–25) from Manchester who are survivors of child sexual exploitation (CSE), REIGN Pioneers plan to provide front line staff, e.g. social workers, police etc., with effective, honest, survivor-led training about the realities of CSE. They will use their first-hand experience and credibility with young people and within their communities to ensure that survivors no longer feel alone or are made to feel ashamed. They want to ensure that services are led and informed by young people who have lived through the experience of CSE.

Elly Hargreave has been inspired by successful pilots of intergenerational care in a variety of countries. These examples house nursery childcare within care homes for elders. She is investigating the feasibility of introducing a similar scheme in the UK, hoping to develop a plan to engage interested partners, devising a sustainable business model and securing future investment. The project will benefit from both Elly’s personal experience of caring for elders and young children along with her work in PR and communications and having set up and led a national charity.

Steven Shaw is developing a website and mobile app to enable people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/​ME to use successful pathways their peers have taken to create a ​‘googlemap’ of their own path to wellness. MEMap encapsulates anecdotal evidence about bold leaps forward patients have made, the need for good science and shortcomings patients have reported about the lack of sustainable provision based on ​‘who they are’. The intent is a step change in peer/​practitioner support social media tech.

Created by Erika Renedo Illaregi, Bidean Co-design will test and evaluate workshops in which mental health service users co-design products that help with their symptoms, e.g. tablecloths that facilitate conversation during meals for those with communication difficulties. She will also develop partnerships with mental health organisations with whom she could collaborate in future to replicate and scale-up the idea. Erika plans to exhibit the designs to the public as a way of tackling stigma associated with mental health and empowering her participants.

Sharon McDonnell has worked in the field of suicide bereavement, as a direct result of her brother dying by suicide at the age of twenty-nine. For over sixteen years, she worked at the University of Manchester where she specialised in suicide bereavement research. She recently set up the Postvention Trust which aims to research the needs of young people bereaved by suicide, and develop support structures that will enable them to move on and make a positive transition into adult life. Working with other experts in this field, Sharon will conduct research in areas of the country where suicide rates are high, produce a video to raise awareness and begin developing provision to support young people.

GASP Motor Project is a charity based in Surrey which delivers hands-on learning and alternative education programmes in mechanics and engineering for young people who are not in education, employment or training. A grant will contribute to the salaries of the CEO and the Programme Coordinator. This will enable GASP to develop and professionalise its programme, invest in impact measurement and build new partnerships with employers in preparation for scaling its work further.

Oxfordshire Youth (OY) is a charity providing infrastructure support to youth clubs and working directly with young people across Oxfordshire. A grant will contribute to the salaries of the Training Manager and Training and Participation Coordinator. This will facilitate the roll out of an income generating strand of OY’s Young Leaders programme, with the long-term aim of becoming self-sustaining by 2020.

YouthAction NI will develop and pilot a ​‘Critical Youth Research Hub’ which will provide a space for youth workers, researchers and activists to present and exchange research and recommend policy and practice solutions. Trained as ​‘peer researchers’ young people will co-design the strategy and outcomes framework. This programme aims to strengthen youth sector collaboration across the region, improve outcomes and increase youth engagement.

The Wharton Trust is a charity delivering community support services in Hartlepool, County Durham. This grant supports the establishment of Hartlepool Young People’s Foundation, including employing lead staff, building membership and growing sector collaboration. The Foundation aims to create a stronger combined voice to lobby for a sustained, high-quality offer for young people in the region.

An established youth charity based in Hull, The Warren offers a variety of services including an open access youth space, counselling, music service with associated record label, active LGBTQ and young women’s groups and sexual health advice. This grant will contribute to new part-time Development Manager salary and to building operation costs. It will also enable The Warren to establish and grow its social enterprise.

Based in Manchester, RECLAIM supports working-class young people to be seen, be heard and lead meaningful social change. The programme ensures young people develop confidence and are self-reflective and critical thinkers. Funding will support strategic planning and operational development to support growth ambitions.

Fight for Peace combines boxing and martial arts with education and personal development to realise the potential of young people in communities affected by crime, violence and social exclusion. Fight for Peace will use their ​‘innovate and scale’ approach to deliver an intensive programme of training targeting young people in prisons and young offender institutions, in partnership with Second Chance.