Youth opportunity (YOF) and youth capital fund (YCF)

One of the key challenges in Youth Matters was to improve the provision of positive activities for young people, particularly those who are disadvantaged, in terms of more things to do and places to go.

Young people should be able to benefit from a range of safe and enjoyable places to go including a wide range of sporting, cultural and recreational activities and experiences and opportunities for volunteering.

Empowering young people is a key theme of Youth Matters. We want young people to benefit from positive activities which foster their personal and social development and gives them the opportunity to enjoy sport and recreational activities.

Youth Matters proposed a discrete amount of resources for young people to control and to decide how this should be spent in their area.

The government therefore introduced the Youth Opportunity (YOF) and the Youth Capital funds (YCF) in 2006 which represented a real commitment to empower young people and to give them more choice and influence over provision and facilities in their area The YOF and YCF can be used in tandem to allow young people to develop projects and initiatives which can contain both a capital and revenue element.

Originally for two years these funds have been so successful that they have now been extended until 2011, and through these funds young people will continue to have a central role as decision makers and grant givers, project leaders and participants.

Derbyshire has been allocated £392,000 Opportunity Fund and £339,000 Capital Fund  each years for the next three years.

We have made arrangements to ensure that young people in the most disadvantaged areas participate in, and benefit from, the funds. Key to this approach is the engagement of young people at a neighbourhood level so that they are able to play their part in contributing to stronger more cohesive communities.
 
After three years of the funding Derbyshire is changing its approach to the implementation of these funds. The Derbyshire Youth Council who are the executive decision-making body for these funds have identified five key priorities for 2009 in the allocation of YOF/YCF, based on some of recommendations of the County’s Children Plan:

• Reducing teenage pregnancy

• Help stop excess drinking

• Keep young people safe

• Reduce drug use

• Improve services for disabled young people

These new priorities will be at the core of a new more strategic approach to implementing the funds. Most projects will have to demonstrate that they can meet at least one of these criteria in order to be successful in getting funding. Some of these may be explicit in the proposal: a youth club for disabled young people for example; or implicit - a voluntary youth club on a Friday night may not have the aim to reduce teenage drinking or drug use, but will almost certainly contribute to reducing such behaviour.

The Youth Council is keen to see more projects benefiting young people living in “super output areas” - the most deprived communities in the county – and they are also seeking to encourage projects in areas which have not yet received YOF/YCF money.

In addition some of the YOF/YCF money is being devolved to the 8 District Youth Forums which have been set up. This will ensure that greater numbers of young people are involved in decision-making and that projects are more suited to the local wishes of young people in the districts

The Youth Opportunity and Youth Capital Funds offer a real opportunity to change and improve provision and facilities for young people and to provide activities they will use and that will make a difference both to young people themselves and to their neighbourhood.

If you would like to submit a proposal for the YOF or YCF monies please complete the proposal form below. It is important that there is evidence that young people have been involved and consulted before submitting the proposal.

If you would like support from your local youth workers to complete the proposal form or any additional guidance on applying please email youth.service@derbyshire.gov.uk 

Other funding opportunities

The Burton Breweries Charitable Trust provides grants of up to £2,500 for youth and community organisations in South Derbyshire and East Staffordshire. You can find out more on the Trust's website linked in the information from other websites section.