Yes! to Youth Investment Fund for Hastings Commons

Great news for young people in Hastings today as Hastings Commons secures a large Youth Investment Fund grant. Hastings Commons is to receive £8.6m in funding from the Youth Investment Fund (YIF) to develop their spaces for, and by, young people aged 11-18. Report from Pasha Milburn, communications manager, Hastings Commons.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Social Investment Business have announced that Hastings Commons is one of the 46 projects across England that have been awarded a grant to transform and level up opportunities for young people in the first two grant rounds of a Youth Investment Fund of over £300m.

Funded by the UK Government, the YIF is a commitment to young people to transform and ‘level up’ the out-of-school youth sector. The funding will enable youth work and facilities that can transform health, wellbeing, skills and opportunities for young people. It is a ground-breaking opportunity to prioritise the needs of young people, to develop the life-changing environments they need and to create a more equal society for future generations. Over the next two years the funding pot will be rolled out to a total of 300 youth services across England.

Culture secretary Lucy Frazer said: “Every young person should be given the best possible start in life and we are investing more than £500m to transform youth services across the country. Today we are announcing the first major beneficiaries of a £300m pot to give thousands more youngsters access to vital services and new opportunities to support and boost their mental and physical wellbeing.”

Nick Temple, CEO for Social Investment Business, said: “Every young person deserves access to high quality activities and facilities, providing the opportunities to help them thrive. The Youth Investment Fund is helping make that vision a reality, supporting organisations and projects in the areas of England that need it most.

“It’s been amazing to see the wide range of projects applying to the Fund – and especially how young people have played a meaningful role in shaping those plans. There is a real appetite to develop inclusive, accessible and sustainable facilities that will be there for future generations – and that is reflected in the first set of grants announced today.

“We are hugely excited as work gets underway in places across the country – work that will help transform opportunities for thousands of young people.”

Whole community approach for the Commons

Already rooted in the local community, Hastings Commons will be taking a ‘whole-community’ approach to developing exciting spaces for, with and by local young people (aged 11–18).  Alongside new spaces and facilities, there will be many opportunities for young people to become involved in this unique regeneration approach through taking part in a wide range of ‘experiences’ (such as hospitality and events, construction, caretaking, administration), receiving mentoring from existing tenants, and having their say in shaping the redevelopment of the historic Observer Building.

The approach will draw on young people’s own perspectives, while developing their experience and knowledge through practical action to create and manage long-term community assets.

Tor Evans, trustee of Hastings Commons, said, “The Youth Investment Fund comes at an exciting time as it will allow us to expand what we already have on offer for the community by involving younger generations in the Hastings Commons. I’m incredibly excited about working with young people from across the town to shape the spaces and opportunities that they want to see for themselves and their peers”.

Investing in infrastructure

The money will be used to support the development of several key buildings and spaces within the Hastings Commons, including:

• a full renovation of Eagle House (27-29 Cambridge Road) to create a range of spaces that benefit young people, including a Universal youth club and a youth work hub in partnership with Xtrax Hastings;
• redeveloping key spaces within the Observer Building to be enjoyed by all, with young people’s influence and ongoing involvement – including the long-awaited OB Roof and the Vaults.
• offering a wide range of experience opportunities for young people including work placements supported by Hastings Commons staff, tenants and partners.

The project will be delivered by Hastings Commons in partnership with Xtrax (Hastings & Rother) as well as many other local partners. This project is also generously funded by the Hastings Towns Fund and several other funders (see here for the full list.

Finding new ways forward

“Our social mission has always sought to benefit everyone, but especially those who usually miss out. This is a category that teenagers fit in, as they have no money, no political power, and often nowhere to go”, Dr Jess Steele, CEO of Hastings Commons, said. “Teenagers are the future and their involvement will help make sure the Commons lasts, while providing opportunities for them to thrive in Hastings. It’s in the nature of our holistic approach that there will be ‘inter-generational mingling’ – it won’t always be easy, but the Commons is a way to find new and better ways to include everyone.”

The Youth Investment Fund is actively welcoming expressions of interest for youth service projects at any scale or stage of development for new/renewed facilities that will deliver positive outcomes for young people in selected eligible areas in England.  Eligible youth service projects can apply now, with applications open until the final grant committee in March 2024.

Visit Youth Investment Fund  for more information.

About Hastings Commons

Hastings Commons is a pioneering approach to community led regeneration. Since 2014, they have brought over 8,000 square metres of floor space into custodian ownership across a whole cluster of buildings in the centre of Hastings. Hastings Commons have renovated these buildings to a high quality, offer genuinely affordable rents, and support residents and businesses to collaborate and take more control of where they live and work. Through this very local work, Hastings Commons challenges traditional approaches, creating new models of ownership, management, and collaboration.

Find out more: Hastings Commons.

About Xtrax (Hastings & Rother)

Located in Hastings town centre, Xtrax is the central focal point for marginalised young people aged 16-24, offering support where it’s needed. Xtrax is committed to providing a service for young people who have complex needs and have been hardest hit by rising inequality and cuts to services and funding. Xtrax can offer a safe space, advice and support on issues such as: employment, housing, benefits, mental health and wellbeing, sexual health and relationships.

Find out more: Xtrax

About the Youth Investment Fund 

The Youth Investment Fund forms part of the Government’s ‘National Youth  Guarantee’ to ensure every young person across England will have access to regular out of school activities, adventures away from home and opportunities to volunteer. The Youth Investment Fund, of over £300m, is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and delivered by Social Investment Business in partnership with National Youth Agency, Resonance and the Key Fund.

The Youth Investment Fund has been developed to create, expand, and improve local youth facilities and their services in the out of school youth sector, to drive positive outcomes for young people, including improved mental and physical wellbeing, and skills for life and work.

Over the next three years the Youth Investment Fund will fund the building or renovation of 300 youth services and will increase the number of regular positive activities undertaken by young people in the targeted areas by 45,000 per year, by 2026/27.

Social Investment Business is welcoming expressions of interest for Youth Investment Fund projects at any scale or stage of development from organisations for new/renewed facilities that will deliver positive outcomes for young people in selected eligible areas in England.  Eligible youth service projects can apply now, with applications open until the final grant committee in March 2024.

To learn more: Youth Investment Fund.

Twitter: @TheSocialInvest
LinkedIn: @Social Investment Business
Instagram: @thesocialinvest

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