Arran youth groups urged to apply for £1,000 funding
Arran and North Ayrshire residents and groups are being invited to bid for participatory funding for community youth projects.
The latest round of the council’s young people’s participatory budgeting scheme is open for online submissions with youth community groups being given the chance to secure up to £1,000 per project.
Applications can be sent in by individuals, clubs, groups and parent councils and should fit with at least one of the following themes: health and wellbeing, poverty and inequality, voice and participation or digital connections.
The closing date for submissions is before midnight on Sunday October 17. Application forms can be completed on Microsoft forms: https://forms.office.com/r/ JLe51qFnHa
Application forms are also available online from the community planning partnership website http://northayrshire. community/youthpb21/43414 or you can request a word document version by emailing youthpb@north-ayrshire.gov. uk
A total of £97,500 is available between all of the six North Ayrshire localities – Arran, Irvine, Kilwinning, Three Towns, Garnock Valley and the North Coast – including £47,000 which will focus on young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Even if you’re not bidding for funds, you can play an important role by voting for the projects you believe will best use the funding.
Voting is open to all eight to 25-year-olds who live in North Ayrshire and will be officially opening on Monday November 8, with the vote going live on the Young Scot website the same day. Voting will close at noon on Friday November 19.
Online voting
Access to the online voting platform will be through your Young Scot National
Entitlement Card or you can obtain a temporary number to vote by emailing youthpb@ north-ayrshire.gov.uk. There will also be the chance to vote in schools and youth groups.
Councillor Louise McPhater, cabinet member for communities, said: ‘It is extremely important to us that communities have a say in how funding is being spent.
‘We have many fantastic groups and projects throughout North Ayrshire doing a great job week in, week out for our younger residents, many of which are run by young people themselves, and their hard work is more important than ever after such a challenging year for our young people and extended communities.
‘If you haven’t already, I would urge anyone who is currently involved in such a project, or has ambitions to start one, to please get in touch and submit an application, or sign up for our upcoming online events where you can find out more information and get help with the bid application process.’