Young people in the borough will have access to even more positive activities after funding was agreed at a Council meeting on 9 July.
Almost £1.3m will be invested in positive activities for children and young people in Lewisham this year and, for the first time, funding recommendations were made entirely by young people, with support from Council officers.
A group of Positive Activities for Young People (PAYP) commissioners was established to evaluate the funding proposals submitted by voluntary and community organisations in Lewisham. The commissioners included representatives from the Young Mayor’s advisors, Young Commissioners as well as young people who had previously attended PAYP funded programmes.
Activities recommended include:
- A Multi-Sports Week as well as individual activities such as swimming, rugby, basketball, volleyball, cricket, athletics, mini and 5-a-side soccer.
- Life Skills Training workshops/courses, many of which lead to nationally recognised accreditation. These include health and safety training, basic motor maintenance, event management, sound engineering and computing.
- Arts and Media workshops/courses, e.g., video editing, music technology, radio presenting, web designing and film making.
Activities will be run throughout the year at evenings and weekends, as well as during school holidays.
Presenting their recommendations to the Mayor and Cabinet, the PAYP commissioners said it was a difficult process because all the bids were good however there was only so much funding available.
Eighteen-year-old Jamal Wright, one of the PAYP commissioners, said: “It was a tiring and delicate but also fun process. It made us work as a team in a professional manner and because I felt the activities we chose were exactly what young people would want to do and would enjoy, I was confident to recommend them to the Mayor.”
Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham, commended the PAYP commissioners for their commitment and dedication to the process. He said: “This funding has given us a great opportunity to provide even more positive activities for young people in Lewisham. They know best what they want and need and it is only right that they have a say in decisions that affect them.”
In accepting their recommendations, Sir Steve said: “It is clear that the PAYP commissioners were inundated with many high-quality bids. I am confident they evaluated and judged each proposal fairly and impartially. I would like to thank the PAYP commissioners for all their hard work and am more than happy to accept their recommendations.”
Councillor Robert Massey, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, added: “Once again our young people have demonstrated their maturity and ability to take responsibility for the lives of their peers. I am incredibly impressed by the months of hard work they put into this and I think they can be very proud of all they’ve achieved.”
Over the course of several months, the PAYP commissioners evaluated over 300 applications from community groups applying for funding.
To help determine which services would be commissioned, the young people identified and agreed the evaluation process and selection criteria. Where they were unable to make a decision based on the application form alone, organisations were interviewed by the PAYP commissioners.
Ongoing training was provided to ensure all the young people had the necessary skills to evaluate bids and to remain impartial at all times.