YMCA St Helens has won nearly £1.5m of funding to enable it to make a difference to young people's lives in the town.

The organisation has been awarded a transformational Youth Investment Fund grant to extend its youth service offer across St Helens.

The news means that YMCA St Helens will be able to support another 296 young people per week when the project is complete.

The funding will enable the redevelopment of part of YMCA St Helens' main building, creating a new 'Youth Hub' focusing on mental health and wellbeing activities including climbing walls, a fitness suite, youth café, dance studio and more.  

YMCA St Helens is one of 44 youth projects in England to benefit from a Youth Investment Fund grant, announced by the funder, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the charity Social Investment Business, who is delivering the grant programme in partnership with Key Fund, National Youth Agency and Resonance. The Youth Investment Fund is part of the Government’s National Youth Guarantee to transform and level up opportunities for young people in England.

The Youth Investment Fund, of more than £300 million, aims to build, renovate, or extend youth service facilities, providing a minimum of 45,000 additional positive activities for young people between 11 and 18 - in the parts of the country where new spaces and new opportunities are most needed.  

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The Youth Investment Fund grants announced today are worth £70 million.

More than £90 million of grants were also announced to 43 youth services in March 2023.  This means that so far at total of over £160 million has been invested in youth services across England and will benefit another 28,500 young people. More grants will be announced later this year.

The Youth Investment Grant will enable youth services like YMCA St Helens to transform health, wellbeing, skills, and opportunities for young people. It is a ground-breaking opportunity to prioritise the needs of young people and deliver the life-changing services they need, creating a more equal society for future generations.  
  
The Youth Investment Fund grant of £1,472,851 will transform YMCA St Helens services for young people. It means work can start on site in October 2023 and the service should open its doors to young people by March 2024. 

The new service will develop a safe space for young people aged 12-18, designed to be small, friendly and accessible to all with activities developed so that young people who (for various reasons) may feel unable to access larger venues, fell able to take part, and belong – and ultimately take the lead in shaping their venue.

The project was designed together with young people who have been supported by The Listening Service (Part of YMCA St Helens), a service providing a mixture of one to one and group work support to young people with mental health concerns, and a youth activities steering group is continuing this, with the aim of the hub being a place with young people taking the lead wherever possible.

Activities will build on the work of the Listening Service, which is run thanks to funding (in part) from the “NHS Cheshire & Merseyside, St Helens Place Integrated Care Board” and “The National Lottery Community Fund”.

'An important step for young people in St Helens'

Welcoming the Youth Investment Fund grant, Justin Hill, CEO of YMCA St Helens) said: “This is an important step forward for the young people of St Helens, giving them a safe place to build friendships, take part in fulfilling activities, and get support when they need it.

"We are excited to be given the opportunity to transform part of our building, and offer a much needed Youth Hub aimed at helping young people reach their full potential.”

Ruby, a 16 year old who has been involved in developing the youth hub, added: “The Youth Hub is very needed, in St Helens young people don’t have much to do, and mental health and things are really bad, so I think having a space and environment where you can meet people your age, and like minded people, will be really good. It will give us our safe space, a place where we can be comfortable, be ourselves and be happy.” 

Find out more about the Youth Investment Fund