Young Grant Makers
Young Grant Makers is a five-month programme that gives young people in Islington the power to choose how money is spent on youth services in Islington.
What is a residents’ panel?
Through our residents’ panels, Islington Giving aims to:
- Diversify decision-making by learning from, and listening to, people who live in the borough.
- Challenge our own perceptions and ways of doing things.
- Share power and be more accountable and transparent to the local communities in which we work.
- Open a platform for local residents to create opportunities for themselves and for their borough.
Islington Giving first piloted a residents panel, our Young Grant Makers programme, in 2018 and we have been building on this ever since.
“One word to describe it… I had supercalifragilisticexpialidocious… but I’m changing it to joy, because that’s what I get from being a young grant maker.’ Young Grant Maker, 2021
What is Young Grant Makers?
Young Grant Makers is a five month programme that gives 12 young people the power to choose how money is spent on youth projects and services in Islington. Through Young Grant Makers, we aim to share power with young people, challenge our own perceptions and ways of doing things, and open a platform for young residents to create opportunities for themselves and for their borough.
What does it involve?
Drawing on experiences, discussion, challenge and learning, our Young Grant Makers work together to create a funding call to tell local groups the kind of work they are interested in supporting. Local groups can then apply for funding, if they think their work matches the criteria. Together our Young Grant Makers will receive and discuss applications, and meet people from the shortlisted projects, before making final decisions about which projects to support.
What can young people gain from the programme?
There are so many benefits to being a Young Grant Maker from developing valuable skills and experience, to gaining insight into the world of grant making. Other benefits include young people getting paid for their time, learning more about the community and borough they live in, meeting and learning about local groups in Islington, and social events!
“This programme gives us a form of responsibility that shows society why young people should have some impact in decision making, as sooner or later, this will be our world for us to run.”
Young Grant Maker, 2022/23
Our latest Young Grant Makers report outlines our approach in delivering the Young Grant Makers in 2022-23, along with an evaluation and the key learnings that we plan to take into the next Young Grant Makers Programme.
