Youth Work Week : DESA faces ongoing problems with funding

Darnall Education and Sports Academy (DESA) spoke to Sheffield Rise about the current struggles faced by the organisation in light of Youth Work Week.

The youth organisation, DESA, operates in an area with one of the highest crime rates in the city.

Kamran Din, the managing director of DESA explains that one of the struggles faced by youth organisations is the lack of provision for young people from certain ethnic backgrounds.

“There are barriers which are based around religion and culture that haven’t been tackled over the past 10, 15 years, which has led to a great amount of anti-social behaviour within the streets of Darnall.”

Another challenge is that despite its success, DESA is still struggling financially.

Mr Din said: “There is no funding for youth organisations, there’s nothing we’re getting from the council that is helping us.”

The organisation relies on holiday activity grants but they claim that it is not something that keeps them running on a day to day basis.

The managing director added: “If it wasn’t for our own hard work, gathering the money and getting these links, we wouldn’t be where we are today.

“I think the organisations that do leave it to the council are the ones that aren’t flourishing as much because they’re always limited by what crumbs are given to them.”

Youth Work Week serves as a reminder of this sector’s crucial role, but for this team, every week is vital.

The managing director of DESA added: “We approach every single week like it’s the most important week for these children, because unless you speak to the children you don’t realise what they’re actually going through.

“Many of these kids face hardships daily. It’s our mission is to equip them with the tools and mindset to overcome them.”

DESA boasts around 3,600 active members, offering a range of sports activities in partnership with major sports bodies like the Yorkshire Cricket Board and Sheffield Eagles.

On an average evening, over 160 young people are provided a safe environment to participate in activities.

Beyond sports, the organisation also offers tutoring sessions for children in maths, English, science, computer science and humanities.

Looking ahead to the future, DESA hopes to become a global leader in youth provision and a “flagship organisation” that inspires others to implement the work that they do.