Youth Work Education Recovery Fund
The Youth Work Education Recovery Fund will enable the sector to support young people in some of the country's most vulnerable communities engage and re-engage with vital learning opportunities.
The fund will be administered by YouthLink Scotland and is open for applications from Community Learning and Development services working with young people to build confidence and skills; support their mental health and wellbeing; and those that address the poverty-related attainment gap.
Funding awards of £20,000-£60,000 are available, with the aim of strengthening youth work and schools partnerships, increasing access to outdoor learning opportunities, and increasing the youth work provision for families and communities disproportionately disadvantaged by Covid-19.
Further and Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead said: “Scotland’s vibrant youth work sector plays a crucial role in supporting children and young people’s well-being, and in closing the attainment gap.
“Throughout lockdown we have seen the sector rise to the challenge of providing services remotely, supporting some the most vulnerable young people across Scotland.
“This £3 million investment in youth work will help education recovery from COVID-19 by providing additional targeted services for young people, where they are needed the most”.
Tim Frew, YouthLink Scotland CEO, welcomed the news, saying: "This fund presents an opportunity for the sector to continue to innovate and develop new models of practice in collaboration across the public and voluntary sectors, alongside our partners in schools and colleges.
“Young people across Scotland have shown extraordinary resilience. They have had to put up with so much, missing out on many things that we often take for granted and as they face the uncertainty of what comes next we will be there to support their educational recovery. In supporting them to achieve, the youth work sector can demonstrate its unique role in closing the poverty-related attainment and achievement gap.”