Core Youth Work
The programme was launched in March 2023 with Skerton Community Association, South Whitehaven Youth Partnership and Distington Club for young people being the first three organisations to join the programme.
As a local and long term funder, we are aware of challenges within the sector which can make access to funding bureaucratic, time consuming and expensive for charities and community groups to administer, distracting staff from their main role, without contributing positively to the quality of services provided.
We are constantly looking to improve our practice and work better with and in support of our grant holders, through whom we work towards our own charitable objectives.
Some of our grant holders have been in receipt of funds for long periods of time and are required to submit new applications every three years.
Our Core Youth Work grant programme is designed to replace this administrative burden with a developmental and enabling process based on periodic reviews in place of application forms.
Our hope is that this will create a more open and collaborative dialogue, supporting and informing our own practices and enabling us to advocate for, and work more strategically on behalf of, youth providers.
We believe the provision of and access to quality youth work is an essential part of a positive transition through the challenging years of adolescence into adulthood. For various reasons, this is more challenging for some young people than for others.
The programme is accessible by invite only, with eligible organisations being approached towards the end of their current grant.
