Wonderful news for young people in Derby supported by the 35th Derby (Markeaton) Scout Group.
35th Derby (Markeaton) Scout Group has been awarded a transformational Youth Investment Fund grant to replace its building to increase its reach and youth impact to young people across Derby.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Social Investment Business have announced that our group is one of 140 youth projects across England that have been awarded a Youth Investment Fund grant to transform opportunities for young people. Our Youth Investment Fund grant for a new building will transform the site and provision enabling the Group to grow Scouting in Derby and provide an exciting new facility to our affiliates and new youth groups. The new building and growing youth provision will reach even more young people from across Derby.
Our new facility will build on our 110 year history, securing a youth and community centred building at our Watson Street site. On completion the facilities will support our own provision from 4 to 25 year olds as well as be available to all other community and youth organisations.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:
“I want to see every young person have someone to talk to, something to do, and somewhere to go outside of the classroom, no matter where they are from, to help maximise their potential in life.” “This next round of funding from the Youth Investment Fund will help nearly 20,000 more young people achieve this goal.” “We have now committed to building or refurbishing over 220 projects in some of the country’s most underserved areas, creating more opportunities for young people to gain the skills needed to succeed in life and stopping them from falling through the cracks.”
Nick Temple, CEO for Social Investment Business, that leads the delivery partnership said:
“The Youth Investment Fund is transforming the youth service landscape right across the country, enabling youth centres of all shapes and sizes to enhance their services and reach more young people.”
Welcoming the Youth Investment Fund grant, David Whelan the Group’s Lead Volunteer said that
“This grant is a once in a generation opportunity for the Scouts and affiliates at Watson Street. It acknowledges our 110 years in the making and secures the future of our work for many more to come. Youth work and facilities in the heart of Derby City is as essential now as ever and I look forward to seeing the growth, impact and positive futures this facility will be instrumental in creating.”
The Youth Investment Fund forms part of the Government’s ‘National Youth Guarantee’ to ensure every young person across England will have access to regular out of school activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. The Youth Investment Fund, of over £300 million, is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and delivered by Social Investment Business in partnership with National Youth Agency, Resonance, and the Key Fund.
The Youth Investment Fund has been developed to create, expand, and improve local youth facilities and their services in the out of school youth sector, to drive positive outcomes for young people, including improved mental and physical wellbeing, and skills for life and work.
Once completed the Youth Investment Fund will fund the building or renovation of 300 youth services and will increase the number of regular positive activities undertaken by young people in the targeted areas by 45,000 per year, by 2026/27.
