Norwich's Future project gets £500,000

26 August 2009 09:52



A project for disadvantaged youngsters has been awarded almost half-a-million pounds to provide new facilities and spread its success across the country.

The Future Project, based in Motum Road, Norwich, has been given £436,000 by the Big Lottery Fund's Young People's Fund for a five-year project to create new practical activities to consult with “hard to reach” young people, in a model they hope will be used across the country.

Dawn Jackson, director of the Future Project, which includes music studios, a community radio station, school programmes for young people finding it hard to achieve their potential in mainstream schools and several other projects, said she thought that the money had been awarded to them because of the Future Project's strong record of delivery.

She said: “We will be using the money to provide a range of programmes for young people from our community and beyond, around media, broadcasting, guidance and support.

“The young people will be getting involved in media broadcasts using Future Radio as part of the process, so they can be heard. It's so necessary to listen to young people rather than do things to them.

“What we are aiming to create is a national consultation model by using the activities to consult young people, engaging with those who are hard to reach.

“We already do a lot of consultation work, and work with people all over the UK, so we will be working with some of the national youth agencies.

“We are so delighted, we're thrilled to bits. It's a very competitive process, and I think what won us the bid is that we have a very good track record for delivery and our staff are all very practical and professional.”

The grant shows how far the Future Project has come on since it was started by just two volunteers as the NR5 Project in 2000. Its partners now include City College, Norwich, Norwich Prison, the University of East Anglia, Norfolk Constabulary, Norwich City Council and Norfolk County Council.

For more information about the project, visit www.nr5project.co.uk.

Has your organisation received a large grant, or do you have another story for the Evening News? Call reporter Sam Emanuel on 01603 772438 or email sam.emanuel@archant.co.uk.

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