Seed funding programme starts in YMCAs

18 June 2008

Y Care International has initiated its first ‘Seed Funding’ Programme for global youth work projects in YMCAs around the UK and Ireland.

Small grants are being offered to members of our Youth Workers Network to carry out global youth work projects in their YMCAs. Each YMCA will receive approximately £1000 to carry out pilot projects between now and March 2009. Each YMCA will be focusing on a different global theme which has resonance with the young people they work with. From the range of applications received, the judging panel decided to fund eleven projects, including those detailed below. A full list of the funded projects can be found at the bottom of the page.

Bantry, Cork and Cobh YMCAs in the Republic of Ireland are focusing on Youth Justice. The three YMCAs will work together, with the aim of exploring young peoples' existing experiences of youth justice issues in Ireland and informing them about youth justice issues globally.

Darlington YMCA and Richmond YMCA are also going to look at the issue of Youth Justice. In Darlington, a group of young volunteers will explore the representation of young people in the media by creating pieces of art to showcase at a local gallery. They hope to create a visual display and an interactive workshop to tour round local schools. Richmond YMCA will use video, photography, graffiti and sculpture to highlight the issue in the local community. The young people also aim to visit a young offender's institute and hold ‘question time' with local police, councilors, the youth offending team, and Richmondshire Community Safety Partnership.

Belshill and Mossend YMCA, near Glasgow, are going to be running an 11 week HIV/AIDS programme, aimed at developing and expanding young people’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS, how it impacts them, their peers and society as a whole. Woking YMCA is also looking at the topic of HIV/AIDS. They will put on events to raise awareness of the issue in the local community.

The City of Dublin YMCA are focusing on crime prevention and gangs. The project will work with a group of young men between the ages of 12 and 16 by helping them stay away from a life of crime and gang affiliation. It will look at crime in their local area, their involvement and the effects it has on them and their communities. The project will then bring in a global element by looking at gang violence across the world.

Gatehouse of Fleet YMCA is going to address the question: ‘How global are we?’ "The project aims to challenge the bigotry and prejudice in our local community, by discovering how global we are. Even in a small town in rural Scotland, there are more global influences than we may realise”.

Perth YMCA are looking at Life skills and Livelihoods through new media. The project will explore how disadvantaged young people can develop the skills they need to find employment. Young people will create podcasts recording their own experience as well as the experiences of young people in YMCAs abroad. It’s hoped that the final podcasts will be sent to local and national politicians in the UK.

Successful projects:

Bantry, Cork, Cobh YMCAs – Youth Justice
Bridgwater YMCA – Sweatshops and Child Labour
Consett YMCA – Exploring issues of pressure on young people globally
Darlington YMCA – Youth Justice
Gatehouse of Fleet YMCA – ‘How global are we?’
Newport YMCA – Deaf Young People’s Linking Project
Perth YMCA – Life Skills and Livelihoods
Richmond YMCA – Youth Justice
City of Dublin YMCA – Young men and crime prevention
Woking YMCA – HIV/AIDS
Belshill and Mossend YMCA – HIV/AIDS