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Money for your ideas

When the government did a survey about local facilities for young people in 2005, teenagers agreed that they'd like to have a bigger say in what projects were given the go ahead. So to make sure that your voice is heard, the Youth Opportunity and Youth Capital Funds have been introduced, giving teens the opportunity to give their local facilities a bit of a makeover.

There’s £173m in Youth Funds, and it's all got to be spent by March 2011. Here are the best bits:

• you come up with the ideas
• young people like you decide who gets what
• your local authority has got to spend Youth Fund money on projects for teenagers in your area

The money is there to help 13 -19 year olds in England just like you, to:

• take a lead role in improving youth facilities
• enjoy your life and spare time
• learn new skills that look great on a CV or college application form

There's also an extra £25 million up for grabs if you live in one of the 50 most deprived areas in the UK.

You apply for Youth Funds through your local authority - it doesn't matter who you are, everyone can have their say and get involved.

All you need to do is show how your project can improve your area, fill in the application pack and send it in to your local authority (don’t forget to check the ‘funding conditions’ – ie ‘small print’ to make sure your idea qualifies).

If everyone in your group is under 18, you may need to have an adult to sign the form.

• Making a great Youth Fund application

Who decides who gets the money?

Young people also get to decide where the money goes. Some local authorities have set up panels of teenagers from their area to help choose the best projects. Others are asking all young people in their area what they think the money should be spent on.

Your local authority will have a ‘Youth Funds co-ordinator’, or ‘YOF co-ordinator’ working for them. They will be able to tell you how the decision in your area will be made. If you want to get involved in your local Youth Panel, find out how other members think they've benefited by watching a video

• Download an interview with Youth Panel members and find out why they think it's a great idea (WMV, 13107K)
• Read a transcript of an interview with Youth Panel members and find out why they think it's a great idea

What's in it for you?

Don't worry if you've never done anything like this before. Coming up with a project idea and plan involves a number of people and you can decide how much responsibility you want to take on.

What's good about Youth Funds is that you can get together with your mates and work out what's missing in your area. You can have a say in what activities and facilities are needed, get involved and see your plan come to life.

If you know your neighbourhood could do with a few improvements, but struggling to come up with a specific idea, have a look at our real-life examples pages to see what projects are already running around the country and how Youth Fund money has helped them.

• Youth Funds - what's been going on?
• Download an interview with young people who received Youth Funds money for their project (WMV, 8583K)
• Read the transcript of an interview with young people who received Youth Funds money for their project

What does YOF and YCF stand for?

YOF stands for the Youth Opportunity Fund - YOF money is usually awarded to the projects themselves and the money can be used to buy equipment.

YCF stands for  the Youth Capital Fund. YCF projects tend to be larger in size than YOF ones, and help to pay for the buildings and facilities that each project needs, as opposed to the cost of running a project.

You don’t need to worry about the terms; the most important thing is to come up with a top idea and get in contact with your local authority. Their Youth Funds co-ordinator will be able to help you with.