YouthBank
 YouthBank UK
YouthBank is an innovative UK-wide grantmaking initiative run by young people for young people. Local YouthBanks provide small grants to projects led by young people, of benefit to the community and that also benefit the young people taking part.
YouthBank is unique in that it is young people themselves who make decisions about how local YouthBanks are managed and run and, through a Board of young people, also direct the UK-wide programme.
YouthBank is more than just a way of giving out grants, it is about supporting and training young people to enable them, through grantmaking and related activity, to benefit other young people and the community, as well as themselves.
YouthBank builds on young people's skills and experiences to enable them to reach their full potential and to play a full part in their own communities
In each YouthBank
Young people come together to form a committee. They decide what criteria they will use, how grant applications will be assessed and who receives the money. YouthBanks are supported by local organisations that help with training, administration and provide support to the young people involved.
YouthBanks offer a range of development opportunities for young people; opportunities to learn about and participate in their own communities, to develop new skills and have new experiences, and to travel to meet other young people involved in YouthBank across the UK.
YouthBank provides a positive role for young people in their communities and in turn can improve the community's perception of them. YouthBanks directly contribute to the regeneration of communities and by putting money into the hands of young people, ensures their priorities are being met.
Celebrating independence
Young people from all over the UK attended an event in London on 14 February 2005 to celebrate the independence of YouthBank UK as an organisation which, itself, is led by a Trustee Board of young people, who have applied for charitable status for the organisation.
Grant makers from throughout the UK, including a young person from Moray YouthBank, spoke at the event about how being involved has had an impact on themselves as well as young people in their wider communities.
YouthBank in Scotland
YBUK licensed YouthLink Scotland in 2002 to roll out the YouthBank programme throughout Scotland. The first YouthBanks were established in Moray and Sutherland and since then a further 17 projects have successfully achieved licences.
YouthBank has provided Scotland with a flexible mechanism to engage young people in community regeneration. It enables young people to show that they can make a positive contribution to community life when given the opportunity to do so.
A number of youth action groups and councils have used their Youthbank as an opportunity to support their established campaigning and youth voice role which in many occasions has enabled them to "put their money where their mouth is". This empowering experience allows young people to develop their grant giving criteria and enable other young people in the wider community to put their ideas into action for the benefit of the area in which they live.
The YouthBanks which are embedded into the local youth voice structure are: Shetland, Dumfries and Galloway, Helensburgh and Lomond, The Big Step and North Ayrshire.
Click to view YouthBank contacts in Scotland.
YouthBank Scotland
YouthBank Scotland was established as the democratic governing body of YouthBank in Scotland at the network meeting in Inverness on 29 April 2006.
Each YouthBank in Scotland is at different stage of development, some are at the ideas stage and have yet to get the ball rolling while others have grant making experience and have distrubuted grants. All are able to learn from each others experience, share ideas and provide innovative solutions to the challenges they face. YouthBank Scotland will provide the ideal environment for young people to network training and share experience.
Click here to view the structure of YouthBank Scotland.
For more information contact:
Heather McVey
Development Officer
YouthLink Scotland
Tel: 0131 313 2488
Email: hmcvey@youthlink.co.uk
Find out more about YouthBank UK at: www.youthbank.org.uk
YouthBank in Scotland : www.youthbank.org.uk/scotland
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