Spirit of 2012 has today, on #PowerOfYouth Day, announced a grant of £500,000 to leading youth charity UK Youth as part of its EmpowHER programme. The grant will enable UK Youth to test different approaches in the design and delivery of youth social action projects, explore how to make them sustainable and embed best practice into a bigger network of projects.

Established in 2018 to mark the centenary of some women being allowed to vote, EmpowHER is funded by Spirit of 2012 and the #iwill fund. It is delivered by UK Youth in partnership with British Red Cross and Young Women’s Trust. To date, more than 1,000 girls and young women have participated in the programme, with 82% reporting improved self-confidence and 75% reporting improved leadership skills. The grant will fund:

    • The delivery of training and resources, including an evaluation framework to 40 youth organisations;
    • Support for six national partners to develop a network to share local knowledge of best practice in youth social action project design and fundraising
    • Resources including a toolkit for sharing widely with other youth organisations to support the delivery of effective and sustainable programmes to embed best practice

Ahead of UK Youth’s ‘How to have powerful partnerships’ event tomorrow (Thursday 3 June 2021), Ruth Hollis, CEO of Spirit of 2012 said:  

“Now in its fourth cohort funded by Spirit of 2012 and the #iwill fund, we want to capture and codify what makes it work in improving wellbeing and building confidence and leadership skills for young women. And importantly, we want to share that with others, leaving a practical legacy for young people for years to come.” Ndidi Okezie OBE, CEO of UK Youth said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this grant to explore how to make youth social action projects sustainable. Youth social action provides so many benefits both to the young people involved and to the communities they serve. This grant will ensure we share learning and embed best practice across more projects. “By taking part in social action projects, young people develop their skills and confidence to have a voice, be heard and give back to their local community.”

Find out more about Empowher.