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July news
Wanted - great ideas to develop top class facilities for young people
The city council is asking young people, parents, youth organisations and others involved in youth services to join forces in developing high quality bids to deliver world class facilities in Portsmouth.
Government initiative Myplace is promising £190 million of funding over the next three years through capital grants of between £1 million and £5 million across the country, with the aim of raising aspirations and transforming the way facilities for young people are planned and delivered. Myplace will fund projects that are designed to have significant local impact and demonstrate they are actively involving young people in their development and delivery.
The city council is offering to put potential bidders in Portsmouth in touch with one another as the funders are looking for partnership bids from the public, private and voluntary sectors - as well as young people and their parents - to plan and develop proposals for local projects.
Local partners will work together to identify and develop proposals that:
- make young people, their parents and communities feel they have safe, attractive places to go in their leisure time, and where they can get involved in a wide range of exciting activities
- enable more young people - particularly the most disadvantaged - to take part in positive leisure activities that support their personal and social development
- give more young people access to information, advice and support services from places where they feel comfortable
- promote stronger partnership working between councils and their public, voluntary and private sector partners to plan, deliver and operate facilities
Chris Richards from the city council's community services said: "This is an excellent opportunity for new ideas and proposals to be put forward and developed. There is a huge need for more high quality facilities for young people, open at times to suit them and affordable.
"These places will provide access to support services and the widest possible range of exciting, high quality sport, arts, music, cultural and other activities, possibly even using mobile facilities to reach out to surrounding areas.
"Each bid needs to be coordinated by a single organisation but the funders are looking for partnership applications. There may be groups looking to improve their premises and others looking for a home - put them together and there could be a viable bid.The council will happily act as 'broker' to put organisations in touch with potential partners."
Contact Chris Richards on: 023 9283 4810, email chris.richards@portsmouthcc.gov.uk for more information.
Date : 21 July 2008
