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Council wins £2.5m to spend on teenagers' Saturday nights out
TEENAGERS across South Yorkshire are to benefit from a share of £679m which has been earmarked by the Government to remove nuisance youths from the streets and cut bad behaviour.
Projects in Sheffield, Doncaster and Barnsley are to be given grants from the Aiming High fund, announced by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).
Ministers said the cash had been set aside after a series of surveys found that 66 per cent of young people in the region said more organised activities were needed in their area.
The study, which was carried out by the DCSF, found that young people claimed they only got into trouble and took part in anti-social activity because of a lack of diversionary activity.
The Government announced yesterday that it would give 2.5m to Barnsley Council to fund projects for young people on Friday and Saturday evenings – the worst time for youth nuisance.
Children's services bosses in Doncaster will receive 3.7m to spend in their borough, while youth workers in Sheffield will also be granted 8.3m to ensure there are things to do for young people. Barnsley Council has already used a separate Government grant to set up the M Zone – a fitness unit aimed specifically at helping 13- to 19-year-olds get healthy and develop self confidence.
And cash from the Aiming High fund has been used to set up a Friday night athletics club at Sheffield's English Institute for Sport which offers track and field coaching for 35 young people.
Both of the projects, along with a scheme in Askern, Doncaster, which is run on Friday evenings, will be taking part in an "open weekend" event next month which aims to get other groups to see how they could use a grant.
Paul Hohn, who operates the Sheffield athletics project – Athletics to Achievement – with the help of parent supporters, said the Government's cash could make a real difference to the outcome of youngsters' lives.
He said: "The challenge is to make young people – boys and girls of all ages – believe they can achieve. But athletics success is not really the end point – it is more of a stepping stone for the individuals involved.
"At the outset, young people are attracted to the idea of developing sports skills, but because they are training to win, they learn that it is all about being 'the best that they can be' throughout their daily lives.
"So many who are underachieving at school, for example, go on to greater success in their education because their minds are stimulated and their confidence is boosted."
Assistant head of Doncaster Youth Service Carol Dunkerley said she had been pleased with the positive impact the Friday Sessions project had in the Askern area of Doncaster.
She added: "Before the sessions started, there were some issues in Askern around young people drinking and causing a disturbance to residents.
"The young people said that there was nowhere to go, so the Friday evening sessions were started and have really made a difference, not just to young people but the wider community."
Speaking about the Aiming High fund, children's minister Dawn Primarolo said: "The Open Weekend is a fantastic opportunity for local authorities to really look at the type of youth provision in their area.
"We must make sure young people have things to do and places to go at the times they need them most because this is the best way to tackle the minority of young people who cause disruption."
The Open Weekend at all three projects will take place on July 10 and 11. For further information go to www.direct.gov.uk/getinvolved
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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