YMCA England: Helping young people build a future

Four YMCAs have been successful with their applications to the Big Lottery's Youth in Focus programme, which allocated £30 million to projects that would support young people leaving young offenders' institutions, young carers and/ or care leavers.

Sussex Central YMCA - The RYP project (Reaching Your Potential)

£990,615 to support young people leaving Young Offenders' Institutions

RYP will work with young people aged 15-19 who are preparing to leave custody and their families. The project will support young people to settle in secure accommodation once they leave custody. Part of this work will involve setting up a Community Hosts scheme in partnership with Sussex Nightstop. Staff will work with each young person to develop a resettlement programme based on their individual needs and personal aspirations.

The project will also support families through specialist support and mediation services. RYP expects to work with approximately 270 young people over three years.

YMCA Cambridgeshire and Peterborough - No Cracks

£978,160 to support young people leaving Young Offenders' Institutions

No Cracks will support:

• young men with learning difficulties (IQ less than 80% or previously statemented with special educational needs); and
• young women aged between 17 and 23.

A main goal of the project will be to ensure young people have appropriate accommodation when they leave YOIs; staff will offer young people places in YMCA accommodation, or support them to live independently or back with their families.

No Cracks will also encourage young people to engage in YMCA life skills training that will help them prepare for independent living, and will refer young people to external agencies for help with e.g. alcohol/drugs, formal education or family liaison.

The YMCA intends that the support offered by the project will mean:

• 80% of participants do not re-offend during the project's lifetime;
• 60% of participants have undertaken 16 hours p/w of work, training, education or volunteering, for a minimum of 6 weeks, by the end of the project.

No Cracks will support 180 young people over three years.

Leicester YMCA - Y-PoD

£999,621 to support young people leaving Young Offender Institutions or care

The project will remove a lot of the barriers faced by young people leaving care or YOIs by providing access to housing, education, training, employment and health services in one building. Project staff will provide 1-1 support, which will be designed around the individual needs of each young people who joins the project.

Sutton Coldfield YMCA - Release

£548,289 to support young carers

The project will reduce isolation among young carers in Erdington and Sutton Coldfield by providing social activities, trained mentors and youth workers who will offer weekly 1-1 respite support. Participants will also spend time with a life coach, and peer support mechanisms will include a community radio station, blog and e-newsletter.

Release will also work with schools to develop a quality standard that will ensure young carers get the support they need. The project will work with young people over a three year period.

The success of these four projects indicates how important it is to form strong, cross-sector partnerships with external organisations. It's also clear that the projects were developed according to the participation and feedback of young people.