A group of local young people aged 16-22 became Islington Giving’s third group of Young Grant Makers (YGM) in March 2020.
The programme was soon disrupted by Covid-19 and lockdown. We paused for several weeks to plan a new course of action. Although still new to the programme, the group was keen to carry on and at a time of such uncertainty, when young people were feeling particularly powerless in many areas of their lives, it felt more important than ever to delegate power to young people so they could make funding decisions about youth activities and support in their local area.
After some careful planning, we resumed online sessions, meeting weekly via Zoom from April until September.
Key facts on YGM 2020:
- The programme was made possible by the support of BBC Children in Need, the National Lottery Community Fund and Islington Giving.
- We interviewed YGM participants at the end of February and started work together in early March.
- We held three face-to-face sessions and 23 sessions online over a 7-month period
- Nine of the 12 young people we started working with in March came together in person to make their final decision-making in September.
- The YGM had full decision-making power over a delegated budget of £70,000.
- They funded seven groups working with young Islington residents
The YGM group invited applications for projects that are looking to support young people in a safe and supportive space where they can talk and be themselves.
These projects will focus on creating a sense of community. They prioritised projects that:
- Enable the creativity and potential of young people to support and guide their future
- And/or are a space for young people to speak about their mental health, including any fears they have about the current social climate
- And/or give young people the confidence to speak up on social issues that affect them and their mental health, having conversations they may not have had in the classroom.
