Young Westminster Foundation is pleased to announce that 34 grants totalling £387,946 have been awarded to youth organisations across Westminster as part of the fifth round of the Westminster Brighter Futures Fund. This investment will provide invaluable support for Westminster’s young people and their families over the coming 12 months.
This year, the fund received a total of 51 applications totalling £824,600. The awarded projects were decided by a panel of local funders, partners and young people. This year’s panel was chaired by Hazel Capper, as part of our local funding partnership with St Giles & St George alms and education charity.
Helen Mann, CEO of Young Westminster Foundation, said: “This support will directly enable and strengthen the fantastic work of our members, which in turn helps to enrich the lives of Westminster’s young people on a daily basis. The sheer volume of applications received reflects the continuing challenges our sector faces, and the growing need for investment in local youth services. YWF would like to thank all funders for their generous donations and commitment to creating opportunities for young people in the borough.”
Cllr Tim Roca, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Young People and Learning, said: “Helping our young people to have a great start in life is so important. That is why I am proud that Westminster City Council is once again supporting the Brighter Futures Fund to help young people and families across Westminster. The funding will award 34 grants to local organisations like the London Basketball Association and Westbourne Park Family Centre, who run activities which make a huge difference to young people in Westminster – enabling them to develop skills to forge exciting careers in the future, and also to engage in fun activities and make new friends.”
Young Westminster Foundation’s 100+ members range from large youth clubs to smaller grassroots organisations; local organisations all driven by their passion to provide the best services, opportunities and support for local young people. Many offer specialist arts, sports, educational and vocational activities or bespoke support programmes for young people including young carers and young people with disabilities.
This year’s funding was made available by Westminster City Council with further contributions from The Aziz Foundation, Berkeley Estate Asset Management, British Land, Capital Arches Group, Conway FM, Derwent London, Eyre Estate, Great Portland Estate, Grosvenor, The Howard de Walden Estate, John Lyon’s Charity, Landsec, Shaftesbury Capital, St Giles & St George and Total Media.
The Brighter Futures Fund is designed to respond to the needs of young people in Westminster as identified in our report Our City, Our Future. It also aims to encourage providers to work with Youth and Family Hubs across the borough and to sign up to Westminster City Council’s Early Help Strategy 2022 – 2025.
The investment in youth services sits at the heart of Westminster City Council’s ambition to create a Fairer Westminster and contributes to the growing community of like-minded stakeholders investing in young people in Westminster.
The YWF Members who have been awarded funding for the coming year are:
- Abundance Arts
– ‘Musical experiences of African drumming and percussion for verbal and non-verbal students at Westminster Special Schools - Adventure Play Hub
– ‘Play provision for SEND young people - Al Ola Arabic School & Sudanese Supplementary School
– ‘Cultural Identity exploration for young people through dance, music and visual art. - Bloomsbury Football Foundation
– ‘Changing the Game for Young People in Westminster’,Social and emotional learning led football sessions. - Caxton Youth Organisation
– ‘Youth Government Programme’, amplifying disabled and autistic youth voices in Westminster - Central London Youth Development Trust
– ‘Bollywood dance classes at Gateway Academy and Christ Church Primary School. - Connected Lives
– ‘Connected Teens: A therapeutic programme for parents of teens based on equipping parents and enhancing adolescent wellbeing.
- Creative Futures UK
– ‘Music-based sessions for families with children aged 0-5. - Doorstep Library
– Reading project on Mozart Estate in Westminster for children aged 0-11. - Dream Arts
– ‘Core staff costs for delivering community arts and immersive theatre programme in Westminster. - Grand Junction
-‘Theatre trips, arts programmes and a youth led festival for young people. - Happy Lizzy Event Planning
– ‘Chill Vibes Social Club’, providing a place for young adults to socialise and explore interests and hobbies. - Home-Start Westminster
– ‘Core service provision to families in Westminster. - Hurdle2Hoops
– ‘Core staff costs for delivery workers. - Kidscape
– ‘Zap in the Community: An anti-bullying project for young people and their parents in Westminster. - Let Me Know (LMK)
-‘Relationship Abuse prevention workshops for young people in Westminster. - London Basketball Association
– ‘Mentoring and training programme through basketball sessions for disadvantaged young people. - London Tigers
-‘Physical and well-being activities for children and young people. - Marylebone Bangladesh Society
– ‘Junior Project’, offering educational and recreational youth club programmes. - Paddington Arts
– ‘A project to create an informative, and youth led online magazine for young people interested in creative arts. - Pan Intercultural Arts
– ‘In school enrichment workshop for students at Beachcroft. - Pimlico Toy Library
– ‘Harpbeeps’, a series of musical session for children aged 0-11. - Platform Cricket
-‘Creating a ‘pop-up’ youth cricket hub for the Pimlico area of Westminster. - Pro Touch SA
-‘ Sports provision and activities including accredited training opportunities. - Queens Park Bangladesh Association
– ‘Khusy Project’, delivering free sport activities to improve the health and physical wellbeing of children and young people. - Shadow to Shine
-‘Accredited training opportunities and employment courses for NEET young people. - Sketch Appeal
– ‘Chill Art’, a programme for neurodiverse children and young people to participate in well-being activities. - St. Vincent’s Family Project
– ‘A space to support families with SEN children aged 0-5. - The Mosaic Community Trust UK
– ‘Workshops for local global majority mothers around prevention of issues related to crime and serious violence. - Unfold
-‘Mentoring for young asylum seekers in Westminster. - Unloc
– ‘Future leader projects for children and young people aged 9-19 in Westminster. - West London Zone
-‘A targeted programme focused on at-risk children and young people in Westminster. - Westbourne Park Family Centre
-‘Delivery of after school physical and wellbeing activities for local children in housing estates across Westminster. - Westminster Supplementary School
-‘English,Maths and Arabic language classes for children in Westminster.
Click here to find out more about the impact of the Brighter Futures funding in 2022.
If your organisation would like to support the Westminster Brighter Futures Fund please contact zahid@youngwestminster.com
