Council awards over £1m to activities for thousands more young people in Southwark

29 January 2024

Southwark Council has given over £1million to organisations and community groups for activities that help young people achieve positive futures over the next two years.

This marks the second round of the council’s Positive Futures Fund for Young People. During the first year of the first round (April 2022 to March 2023), groups delivered over 3,800 youth work sessions with over 15,000 visits from local young people.

In May 2023, the council went out to ask young people, including Southwark Youth Parliament, what kind of activities they wanted to see in the second round. Members of Southwark Youth Parliament also sat on the board that reviewed proposals for the grant scheme.

Individual grants ranged from £20,000 to a maximum of £60,000 over two years for activities that will run from April 2024 to March 2026.

The aim of the grants is to make Southwark an inclusive and empowering place to live for all young people. Cllr Kieron Williams, Leader of Southwark Council, visited The Neurodiversity Family Hub to learn about how they would be using their grant to build a safe haven where young people with neurodiversity can thrive, including an after-school club and social careers-focused service.

The hub was established by a grassroots community who saw a need to provide equality, justice and positive experiences for young people with neurodiversity.

Sonay Ozkutayli, Education Law Expert & Co-Founder of The Neurodiversity Family Hub, said: “We are committed to ensuring young people and their families with neurodiversity feel enfranchised and empowered within their communities so they can be the beacon of hope moving forward. We do not believe that neurodiversity or disability should be a barrier to people living successful and happy lives. Our endeavour will carry this message through with the help of the council’s Positive Futures Fund for Young People.

“We are delighted to be awarded a grant by Southwark Council. It means that we will have solid foundations in which to continue to build upon, to continue to educate, empower and raise the awareness of young people with a neurodiversity. It show the council’s commitment to action this is an important and worthwhile cause.”

Cllr Williams said: “Every child deserves the very best start in life. We have a diverse community of young people in Southwark with varying needs and ambitions. We are levelling the playing field with these grants by investing £1m into a range of activities that uplift and upskill all our young people. The Neurodiversity Family Hub is doing just that for neurodiverse young people, now with support from the council – it was fantastic to see this in action for myself.”

The council’s Positive Futures Fund for Young People will fund other activities, including:

• animal care, food growing, cooking healthy meals, rural crafts, environmental and social action projects at Surrey Docks Farm, as well as free access to the farm seven days a week
• life skills (cooking, teamwork, socialising) and wellbeing opportunities (arts and crafts, recreational sports) at Art Block, South London Gallery’s creative space on Sceaux Gardens Estate
• one-to-one job-related support and group classes by The Empowerment People designed to boost confidence and bridge the skills gap for young people

Page last updated: 29 January 2024