| Preston FM awarded £180,000 for youth volunteering project |
|
|
|
Prescap – the local community arts charity behind Preston FM – has been awarded £180,000 funding by v, the youth volunteering charity, to get young people positively involved in the community over the next three years.
Prescap – the local community arts charity behind Preston FM – has been awarded £180,000 funding by v, the youth volunteering charity, to get young people positively involved in the community over the next three years. The money will be used to provide volunteering opportunities at Preston FM for 240 young people, who will help to run the community station as well as co-ordinating, commissioning and scheduling a new strand of youth radio programmes. The opportunities will be flexible in terms of time commitment, area of activity and subject matter, allowing them to be adapted to fit the interests, cares and passions of a diverse group of young people. Young people will be able to enter the project at any level, and will be encouraged to progress as far as they can, taking on mentoring, training, governance, technical and management roles as their skill and confidence grows. The project is one of 152 across the country who will be funded by v as part of vinvolved, a new national youth volunteering programme backed by £75 million funding, which aims to inspire half a million more young people to volunteer in England. Richard Lace, project manager for Preston FM said: “We are very excited to be part of the vinvolved programme. We consistently have huge demand from young people wanting to get involved in the station – and this funding will enable us to offer them the opportunities they want and support them through their involvement in community radio. Through volunteering with us, young people will be able to improve their own skills as well as benefiting the community by helping to keep Preston FM on the air for the whole city.” vinvolved has been designed by and for young people to make volunteering a compelling choice for all 16-25 year olds in England by tapping into their passions and concerns. The charity aims to change the image of volunteering and make it a ‘must-have’ part of young people’s lives. Terry Ryall, v’s Chief Executive, says: “v is delighted to be able to fund this innovative and youth-led project, which will enable young people to get positively involved in Preston. Young people are at the heart of this new programme which aims to put them at the centre of our communities. Instead of seeing them as a problem to be fixed, we are giving them the chance to become a positive force for change.” A second aspect of the project will see Preston FM working alongside v and community radio stations elsewhere to develop good practice and share expertise across the country. News of the funding has been welcomed by the community radio project’s existing volunteers, who are keen to take advantage of a full-time community radio licence they hope will be granted early next year. The project’s existing funding from the AvenCentral Regeneration Partnership and the European Regional Development Fund finishes in March, and station bosses must still find a further £175,000 to ensure the future of the project. The new volunteering opportunities at Preston FM will be available from April 2008. For more information visit www.wearev.com or the young people’s portal www.vinspired.com |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
