New HeadStart Kernow youth grant panel awards grants totalling £56,000 at first meeting
The Young People’s Mental Wellbeing Legacy Fund is led by HeadStart Kernow, a partnership programme run by Cornwall Council and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. HeadStart Kernow are working in partnership with Cornwall Community Foundation (CCF), to create and administer the Fund.
The fund held its first grants panel awarding grants totalling more than £56,000 to twenty community projects. The members of the grant panel were young people, aligning with HeadStart’s guiding principle that young people with first-hand experience of the issues they face are best placed to shape potential solutions to support young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Charlotte Hill, Head of Partnerships, Innovation & Wellbeing at Cornwall Council, said, “HeadStart Kernow are delighted that the first Youth Grants Panel for the HeadStart Young People’s Mental Wellbeing Fund has taken place so successfully. The panel members were a joy to work with, taking such care to consider each application carefully. The grants they have agreed will benefit children and young people across Cornwall immediately and into the future.”
Twenty grants were made supporting projects and individuals around the county. Successful applicants included Lighthouse CIC, a Liskeard based organisation providing support services for children, young people and their families. The grant of £6,000 from HeadStart Kernow will help to fund a Young Girls Support Group aiming to promote good mental health and wellbeing with 13 – 16-year-old girls suffering low self-esteem, anxiety and social isolation.
Friends of Bosvigo School Association received a grant of £5,965 to support a project targeting children struggling to engage with learning because of the effect of stress and who have experienced trauma. Anne Davis of Friends of Bosvigo School commented, “We think this project will be life changing, that the children will develop confidence and self-esteem and start to understand they are capable of great things.”
Applications for individual grants are made through a sponsoring organisation such as a youth group, community group or school. Activities that can be supported include, for example, trying new activities, accessing green spaces and meeting new people through group activities, as well as therapy-based interventions.
Scott Hignet, Head of Funding for HeadStart at The National Lottery Community Fund, said “Young people’s voices are at the heart of the HeadStart programme and it is encouraging to see this in action with HeadStart Kernow’s Youth Grants Panel.
“We’re looking forward to seeing the positive impact these projects will have on the mental health and wellbeing of local young people in Cornwall.”
Managed for HeadStart Kernow by CCF, the HeadStart Kernow Young People’s Mental Wellbeing Fund is welcoming new applications. The programme is open to local community groups, and individuals, via a sponsoring organisation, to promote resilience and emotional and mental wellbeing.
Tamas Haydu, our Chief Executive commented, “The first round of grant awards have reflected a wide range of support reaching more than 4,000 young people. We are looking forward to the next youth grant panel meeting and encourage potential applicants to visit our website for details.”