Funding to help young people in Wolverhampton

The first two successful applicants for the City Ideas Fund have been announced by Wolverhampton Council.

Offering a one-off grant of between £500 and £10,000, the fund is open to city employers, partners, voluntary organisations, community groups and individuals to develop ideas and projects which help young people into jobs and learning.

The first round of funding closed last month, with ideas coming forward to address some of the key challenges connected with reducing the number of unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds in the city from 2,660.

Successful applicants were chosen by an independent panel made up of representative organisations and young people from across the city and moderated by an internal team from the local authority.

RG Box Fit, a boxing club based in Oxford Street, Bilston, has been awarded £3,300 to develop a Box Clever a programme of two one-hour non-contact boxing sessions per week to help build up confidence, release stress and reduce anxiety, as well as learning a new skill.

Each session will be followed by half-an-hour in the classroom having a chat about work placements, CV building, interviews and life skills which will help young people get into jobs.

Richie Ghent, head boxing coach, said: “As a club we are over the moon to have been successful.

"A positive mindset is so important when approaching job opportunities, we will be going above and beyond by providing 18 to 24-year-olds with boxing sessions to enable this."

Topps for the Community (CIC) based in Langley Road, has been awarded £5,000 to develop Young Mental Health Champions.

The city-wide project, with priority being given to young people from Bushbury South and Low Hill, St Peters and Bilston East, is designed to develop ten young people into champions and mentors for other young people with poor mental health and other complex issues, to help them move closer to the jobs market and make them aware of employer expectations especially in sectors that currently have high vacancy rates such as health and social care, distribution and new and emerging technologies.

Anna Wright, director of Topps Training, said: “We are delighted to be given an opportunity to support the young people of Wolverhampton through the City Ideas Fund. We will engage and support by intensively mentoring ten young people to develop them as champions and mentors for other young people with poor mental health and other complex issues."

Council leader Ian Brookfield said: “I would like to thank RG Box Fit and Topps for the Community for springing into action and answering the city’s call for ideas to support our young people.

“I truly believe that this is a city that leaves no-one behind but, to shift that dial, we need disruptive thinking and to shake things up because all our best efforts to reduce youth unemployment to date, have not been enough.

“The City Ideas Fund provides an initial £100,000 to stimulate fresh thinking and the funding awards to these two organisations is just the start.”