Youth Opportunity Fund: Where the money went

The young people got together with adults from the On Board community arts project to create a play about the positive portrayal of young people and what it was like to be a young person in the past. The group was awarded a grant of £4,200 from YO, which enabled it to meet weekly, pay for drama workers and stage a performance last November. The young people also got to work towards an Arts Award accreditation. Three of the young people have gone on to do Apprenticeships, where they have learned how to lead arts activities with teenagers themselves.

Teenage Parents' Project: Hartcliffe and Withywood Teenage Parents' Project is based at a tenant's centre in one of the most deprived areas of Bristol. It has been running for 14 years and is open five days a week. About 150 young parents are on its books, including young dads who have their own drop-in sessions. Manager Deana Stone says: "Their biggest problem is isolation. It's all about building support networks." The project was awarded £5,903 from YO, some of which went towards residentials that looked at positive relationships and family life and budgeting and debt. The grant has given young parents the opportunity to experience team working with peers and learn valuable parenting skills.

Bristol Young Advisors: Bristol Young Advisors is part of a nationwide initiative training young people aged 15 to 21 to act as consultants who can "youth proof" the practices and policies of local authorities and other organisations. It ensures that young people's ideas are considered in decisions that affect them. The project received grants from both the youth opportunity and youth capital funds amounting to £14,899, which has enabled it to set up as a social enterprise called the Disc Agency and pay for its own office space and equipment. Young people from the project have since been involved in facilitating workshops for Bristol City Council and the evaluation of local services.