Children in Need - #iwill Fund
As schools, children and many others around the Isle of Man raise money for this year’s Children in Need’s Pudsey Day. We’re pleased to announce we have been awarded a £50,000 grant from the #iwill Fund for a project to empower children and young people on the island to deliver youth social action in their community. Money raised through Children in Need’s Pudsey Day on the island will go directly to support young people here.
The #iwill Fund brings together a group of organisations who all contribute funding to embed meaningful social action into the lives of young people.
Our project will run for 18 months and focus on three areas; Young Mentors who will work at The Children’s Centre and in the community, Young Leaders who we hope will create a legacy project for the island community across the year and recruiting a Young Person onto our governing board (in attendance position). The young person on the board will represent youth voice and ensure the we’re considerate of the issues that young people face today.
Social action involves activities such as campaigning, fundraising and volunteering, all of which enable young people to make a positive difference in their communities as well as develop their own skills and knowledge.
The Children’s Centre’s mission is to put the needs of children and young people at the heart of everything they do, turning difficult life experiences into brighter futures.
Joff Whitten, Head of The Children’s Centre said ‘We’re absolutely delighted to receive this grant from Children in Need. Not only does it highlight the importance external funders see in our work, but it enables us to ensure that we are not speaking for young people but speaking with them. This is essential if we want to continue to meet their needs in a relevant way and deliver meaningful outcomes for our young people.’
‘Youth social action is about the activities that young people can do to make a positive difference to others or the environment. There are lots of ways to take practical action to make a positive difference. It can take place in a range of contexts, formal or informal, and can include things like volunteering, fundraising, campaigning or supporting peers’
The first part of the project will be about working with young people to co-create their own visions and outputs for this.’
Here more from Joff’s interview with Manx Radio about this project and the issues faced by young people.