Project casebook: Case studies

SOUTH KILBURN YOUTH BOARD

Name of project: South Kilburn Youth Board, north London

Aim: To act as the voice of young people in South Kilburn and distribute funding to local youth-led projects

Funding: New Deal for Communities provided £3,000 a year for training and support and a £30,000 grants budget

Earlier this year, 20 young people aged 11 to 24 battled it out for a place on South Kilburn Youth Board. "I thought it would be good to help the community a bit more," says 13-year-old Dwight Okeke, one of the successful candidates. "Facilities for young people are really lacking in South Kilburn," he adds.

This is one of the issues the board hopes to address by funding youth-led projects with an annual budget of £30,000. "We're looking for something that really helps the community and doesn't just appeal to one group," explains Dwight. Recent grants include £2,000 for a Latin music festival in South Kilburn, and £2,000 towards costumes for a local dance group.

The youth board initiative is organised by The Campaign Company for South Kilburn New Deal for Communities (NDC). It got under way in November 2004 and the first youth board election was staged in August 2005. The board, which meets about twice a month, also advises on youth issues.

Last year, it staged a select committee-style event to gather information from local people on respect, crime and safety. The aim was to challenge negative stereotypes of young people and the results were brought together in a report and DVD. It has already changed the way the youth board works with South Kilburn NDC's adult board, which has since nominated a youth champion to attend youth board meetings and ensure young people's views and needs figure in wider regeneration work.

The board has had to work hard to raise awareness including organising a showcase of projects that it has funded.

Members also give talks in schools and youth clubs and the board is advertised through leaflets and flyers, an approach that has paid off. "Our elections have always been well contested," says Hannah Charnock, senior projects officer at The Campaign Company.

Taaliba Dacres, theme manager for young people and education at South Kilburn NDC, has seen the board evolve and hopes it will soon spread its wings even wider. "One idea is to have a surgery that is approachable for young people to come and raise issues," she says. "Local councillors already have surgeries and the board may be able to work in partnership with them."

Dwight admits he has been disappointed with some projects the board funded, but others have flourished. He and other board members have learned from experience, gaining communication skills and understanding of how to manage money. "There are three adults that help us and they're really friendly," says Dwight. "They give us guidance but we still make the big decisions."

BRIAR ESTATE

Name of project: Briar Estate Youth Club, Havering

Aim: To give young people somewhere to hang out and do activities

Funding: Includes £31,000 from the youth opportunity fund and backing from Homes in Havering

When: Briar Estate Youth Club began life in April 2006, all the organisers could offer was a pack of cards, a dartboard and a CD player.

But the club, based on the Briar Estate in the London Borough of Havering has grown rapidly and now attracts around 200 young people aged up to 21.

The club came into being when estate resident Steve Butler invited a group of young people into the community hall, offering them an alternative to hanging around local shops. This grew into a regular Friday night youth club and soon expanded to include sessions on Mondays and Thursdays and a group for children aged seven to 11. The club is organised by Butler, his wife Linda, daughter Lisa and fellow estate resident Sid Hall, under the umbrella of the Briar Community Association. "It was something that was really needed," says Linda Butler.

Young people are now less likely to hang around on the streets and this has helped reduce antisocial behaviour. The club has also created a greater sense of community as the young people have been helping elderly residents with gardening and other jobs. "It means elderly people say 'hello' when they meet kids rather than seeing them as a threat," says Linda.

Funding from sources including the youth opportunity fund has paid for equipment and repairs to the hall. The young people have worked on funding bids with the resident participation team at Homes in Havering, which manages the council's housing. They're now applying for lottery funding for a total refurbishment and extension plus new outdoor facilities.

SHOWCASE THE STREET

Name of project: Showcase the Street, Arbroath and Dundee

Aim: To provide a full range of arts activities to young people, especially those from deprived and rural areas

Funding: Self-funded through professional activities, Young People's Fund Scotland, Awards for All, Kelly Family Trust and Arts and Business

Last year, Llandyll Gove beat hundreds of hopefuls to win a place at the prestigious Glasgow Academy of Musical Theatre Arts. The 19-year-old has been a singer and dancer all his life, but says he owes a lot to Showcase the Street, an arts project working with young people.

The scheme has bases in Arbroath and Dundee and also works out of schools and community venues, offering a wide range of dance classes and other arts and media activities. More recently it has extended its reach into rural Blairgowrie and the small town of Forth.

Dance is Showcase's core activity, explains director Fergus Storrier. This year the scheme was awarded £17,600 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to enable young people to stage a performance tracing the history of dance.

Key goals for Showcase include boosting young people's health and fitness and ensuring sessions are low cost. "That means young people can afford to come," says Storrier. Showcase also strives to be flexible and offer young people the chance to develop skills in any area in which they have a particular interest.

Llandyll started attending Showcase's dance classes after seeing a show by some of its students. He went on to help out at sessions for younger dancers and then undertook a full-time volunteer placement through Project Scotland. He still works for Showcase during the holidays and is now an assistant director. "Hopefully what I have done shows young people what they can achieve," he says.

BANG BANG PROJECT

Name of project: Bang Bang Project, Leeds

Aim: To support young people to gain skills and positive experiences through creative activities including music and photography

Funding: The project is supported by Leeds City Council and was recently awarded £25,000 from the youth opportunity fund

Saturday afternoons at Rio's nightclub in Leeds are buzzing with energy and excitement as young bands take to the stage. Fortnightly events organised by the Bang Bang Project are an opportunity to hang out, listen to music, chat and make friends. They're proving a massive hit with young people, who help plan, organise and publicise the occasions.

The Bang Bang Project came about in response to mounting tension between young people, traders and shoppers using the city's Corn Exchange shopping centre. Leeds City Council's youth service stepped in to mediate in November 2005 as the threat of a police dispersal order loomed. This led to meetings between youth workers and a core group of young people and Bang Bang was born.

A successful bid to the youth opportunity fund has allowed the project to take off. As well as helping organise the events, young people document them with photographs and run a website. It has enabled the youth service to build a good relationship with young people and it is backed by parents, says youth worker Deeta Tren-Humphries. "We've had a lot of positive feedback from parents and some even come down to Rio's to see their children play in the bands," says Tren-Humphries.

Phil Broadwell, 19, was part of the group that worked on the funding bid. "We just talked about what we wanted," he says. "It was a bit weird because we didn't think we'd get it, but when we did it was like, 'let's get started'."

Phil's volunteering work has helped him with his application for nursing training. "It's been good fun and I am really grateful to Deeta for sorting it out and making sure there's no warfare between groups," he says.

One of the biggest challenges has been integrating different groups of young people, admits Tren-Humphries. "That needed a lot of input and meetings," she admits. It took time, but it worked and she's seen young people involved in the project flourish.

Paul Brown, 19, is working as a sound engineer, having gained experience with Bang Bang. He still helps out backstage and also performs. "It just gives us somewhere to go and chill out, listen to some good bands and gets us off the streets," he says. "I have met lots of people who've become really good mates."

For Tren-Humphries, it has been challenging but worthwhile. "I work with 300 young people on a regular basis and it has been the most satisfying piece of work I have ever done," she says.