Youth groups – prepare to bid for funding boost

YOUTH groups across Oxfordshire will be invited to bid for part of a £1m fund over two years, and encouraged to find match funding from their local communities. The money is part of the recent budget agreed by Oxfordshire county Council who have said that this money would help existing projects expand and new ones get off the ground.

The funds would be administered by a cross-party working group of Oxfordshire’s county councillors, chaired by Councillor Mark Gray and bidding for the new grant fund – £500,000 in 2019/20 and the same in 2020/21 – will be opened in April.

Councillor Nigel Hudspeth said: “We want to try to reach out to all areas of the county, recognising good existing youth activities and offering additional support and offering help where there are gaps in services. I am sure local people with energy and ideas will come forward.”

Voluntary sector welcome for extra youth spending

Jodie Lloyd-Jones, chief executive of Oxfordshire Youth, said: “Community-run youth services make a huge contribution to society and compliment statutory services, but more importantly they provide a safe space, a trusting relationship and offer young people a sense of belonging.

“As young people grow up in a society that has moved online, a physical space for young people to go and build relationships, and feel connected to the wider community is more important than ever before.

“The youth clubs and organisations that are currently operating across the county provide an essential service for children and young people. As a charity at the heart of these organisations, we see the impact that is made on a daily basis.

“It is really positive that Oxfordshire County Council has found a way to support these services, the more recognition we have of the value of voluntary sector youth services, the more investment we will be able to bring to the county.”