Youth charity calls for more investment as thousands apply for new fund

A charity, UK Youth, is calling for greater investment after being inundated with more than 1,000 applications for its new fund within three weeks.

The £10m fund created in partnership with the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust, Thriving Minds, will go towards projects supporting young people’s mental health.

Thriving Minds has already received an additional £1m from the Duke of Westminster’s charity the Westminster Foundation.

However, with the money currently available only 100 projects could be assisted with the fund, while more than £30m would be required to support all 1,000 applications.

Ndidi Okezie, Chief Executive of UK Youth said: ‘The Julia and Hans Rausing Trust has made this possible, investing millions in a fund that will improve support for young people over the next three years. We are delighted to have already secured an additional £1m from Westminster Foundation. Together we will fund 100 projects, many of which will include full-time youth worker posts able to support thousands of young people.

‘The demand has totally out stripped our funding, even with the generous support from Julia and Hans Rausing and the Westminster Foundation, nearly one thousand youth organisations and the thousands of young people they support will not get the help they need. With a youth support system already on its knees post pandemic we know these figures are only going to rise as we face the biggest cost of living crisis in a generation.’

Applicants were asked to outline mental health challenges facing the young people they work with as part of the process and over two thirds listed poverty as a significant factor affecting them.

With budget cuts and the pandemic, youth workers have been under enormous pressure, which Youth UK has acknowledged and seeks to address by providing training and support.

Successful projects will be announced in June and will be supported for three years through Thriving Minds, with funding and tailored packages of support, through workshops and community growth.

Photo by Elijah M. Henderson