Lynda Breakwell,
Regen.net,
21 August 2008
Young people involved in Dragons' Den-style panels to consider pitches from other young for funding for activities, buildings and equipment have improved their social skills, an evaluation has found.
A review of the Government¹s Youth Opportunity Fund and Youth Capital Fund, which give panels of young people decision-making powers over funding for local projects, says that 100 per cent of local authority staff believed that panel members had benefited socially from the schemes.
The evaluation, published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, also found that many young people taking part in the projects said that they now got involved in activities more often.
More than 50 per cent of young people said that they went to a youth club more often after taking part in the projects.
However, administering funds presented problems for young people, according to the review. They needed help from adults to complete funding applications, it said.
The report concluded that: "Providing young people with a voice and decision-making power can lead to greater participation and an improvement in the quality of activities."
Outcomes of the Youth Opportunity Fund / Youth Capital Fund is available to view here
