Big Lottery Fund announces £31m of Young People's Fund 2 grants

The Big Lottery Fund has announced grants totalling nearly £31 million from from the Young People’s Fund 2 (YPF2) National Grants programme to fifteen national projects that are run by and for young people.

Media Trust has been awarded over £2.7 million for a project working with partners Crime Concern and Fairbridge, which gives 14-18 year olds from disadvantaged backgrounds, a multi-media platform on which to communicate issues that they feel strongly about.

Based in London, Manchester and the Midlands, the Taking Charge project will see the Media Trust working with its corporate partners, which include BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Guardian Media Group and The Daily Mail, who will provide the young people with industry mentors and work placement opportunities. Here they will gain the skills needed to produce, present and broadcast their own TV programmes.

The young people will then produce 72 TV programmes on issues that are important to young people in the UK today, which will be broadcast on Community Channel's youth strand Charge.

Caroline Diehl, CEO of Media Trust, said: "This funding award from the Big Lottery Fund will provide crucial opportunities for some of England’s most disadvantaged young people. With expert media support, this exciting project will be guided by the young people themselves, who will gain a variety of skills along the way."

www.biglotteryfund.org.uk