Youth Opportunity Fund - What's been funded?

The Youth Opportunity Fund and Youth Capital Funds are funds with a difference; young people get decide what projects get funded, and how much money they get.

You can find out more about the process in the Funding section on Spired.com.

To find out about some of the amazing projects that were funded last year, read on:

Damascus - Results

A week-long health and fitness programme, including boxing, circuits, youth leadership, weight training and general health awareness discussion including drugs and sexual health.

Summer Activities at Henley Young Peoples Centre

We made one-minute films for the SummerScreen Festival Competition (an annual festival of film for young people). Our film "Wine Flu" won first prize!

Riverside Centre - French Alps Expedition

This camping and kayaking trip was half-funded by the Riverside Centre, the funding allowed us to have a great experience and increase our confidence on the water. Young people from the group attempted and passed their BCU 3 star white water kayaking award.

St Luke's Church - The Big Project

Funding allowed the Church to run local community events to consult over making a chill out space and improving the kitchen in their local church. The group has since received planning permission and had been described by a local councillor as an exemplar of community consultation and youth involvement.

Shakespeare Summer Soiree - Cherwell Theatre Co

Allowed young people to act alongside professional actors in a series of Shakespeare scenes in beautiful Broughton castle!

Our Street Corner - Harwell Village Council

This project brought together young people and grown ups in Harwell village through bringing in a youth worker to run events, sessions and meetings, do community work and workshops. The village now has an adults and young people's group and holds regular drop-ins in the Freeman Hall.

This is only a sample of what's been funded. You can read more about the different projects, the funding process and the experiences of the young people who delivered the funding in the Oxfordshire Integrated Youth Support Services Youth Opportunity and Youth Capital Funds Evaluation Report March 2010. (PDF, 80 pages, 2.75M)