A £246,000 fund has been granted to local community and voluntary schools in Barnsley, as part of the council’s ‘Great Childhood Ambitions’ plan.
The money from the fund is to be put towards exciting new projects over the next 18 months dedicated to young people in the area.
14 groups have been selected, these are:
- Ad Astra
- Barnsley Civic
- Breaking Beats
- Chilypep
- Dearne Playhouse
- Equipt Therapy
- Exodus
- Great Houghton Youth Group
- Jolly Good Communities
- Mission Table Tennis
- OnPAR Health
- Rotherham and Barnsley MIND
- Station House Community Association
- Youth Association
These groups cover a wide range of opportunities for children and young people, ranging from podcasting sessions, to drama classes and more.
Successful applications for the fund had to meet at least one of these five requirements: belong, explore, dream, grow and connect.
Councillor Ashley Peace, Cabinet Spokesperson for Children’s Services at Barnsley Council said: “In Barnsley, we want all children, young people and families to benefit from the opportunities that childhood brings.
“We know community groups across Barnsley play a vital role in supporting children and young people, and with our Great Childhoods Ambition Community Fund, we’re empowering them to be even bolder in what they offer.”
Sandra Georgeson, Registered Manager for Equipt Therapy, one of the successful organisations said to Barnsley council: We’re so excited to have this opportunity to work creatively with Barnsley young people in care to tell their story in creative ways, which would not have been possible without this vital funding.”
Another part of the Great Childhood Ambition plan is ‘Ambition Arena: Your Pitch, Your Summer’.
This is a programme which invites young people to pitch an idea for activities they would like to take part in over summer, the children will pitch their ideas to a Dragon’s Den style panel.
More information about the Great Childhood Ambition can be found here: Great Childhoods Ambition.