People in Lozells-Newtown get chance to shape how up to £1 million is spent to prevent youth violence

The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) has announced today (15 February 2022) that people living in areas within Lozells-Newtown, in Birmingham, will get the chance to shape how an investment of up to £1 million will be spent to protect children from violence.

The investment is part of the charity’s Neighbourhood Fund, a programme that puts community engagement and partnership at the heart of efforts to prevent violence and keep young people safe.

Along with local areas of Bradford, Cardiff, Manchester and Norfolk, Lozells-Newtown has been selected as one of the first five places to receive this funding - where there is the biggest opportunity to empower local communities to make change.

The decision to work in this inner-city area was made after six months of talks with Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Police, the community sector, schools and young people.

Jenny Turnross, Director of Practice at Birmingham Children’s Trust, said: “Since December 2020 there has been a rise in serious youth violence and exploitation in parts of Newtown and Lozells. If we continue to do the same things, we will inevitably continue to get the same result. It’s time to be brave and courageous and we are really pleased to be a key partner in this initiative.

“EMPOWERU Hub colleagues have walked alongside parents of the children of any young people who have experienced violence and really ‘listened, heard, seen and felt’ their lived realities. By listening we are empowering parents, carers, young people and a whole range of organisations, including YEF, to be partners in our journey to deliver positive change in our communities.”

Councillor John Cotton, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, Community Safety and Equalities for Birmingham City Council, said: “I welcome this £1million award from the Youth Endowment Fund which will enable us - working with the fund and its partners - to help the communities in Lozells-Newtown to tackle youth violence, which has a devastating impact on the young people in our city. This funding will provide an opportunity for the community to identify opportunities to work with young people in this area over the next five years.”

The next phase will focus on hearing the local community’s views to ensure all decisions about the project reflect what they want to see in their local area.

This work will be led by Birmingham Voluntary Services Council (BVSC) Research and their partners; University of Birmingham, University of Wolverhampton, Aspire4U and Birmingham Childrens Trust’s EMPOWERU Hub.

The partnership will then work with the community to develop a long-term and sustainable action plan to prevent young people from becoming involved in violence, where local people and organisations have the power to find, design and deliver the services and solutions they want to see.

The Youth Endowment Fund will provide support and invest up to £1m over a period lasting up to five years for the community to put their plans into action.

Sophie Wilson, Director of BVSC Research, said: “As YEF’s Community Research and Co-Design partner working in Lozells-Newtown, we are determined to hear the voice of local people and work with them to build a sustainable action plan to reduce serious youth violence.

“This is an exciting, important and innovative approach that enables agencies to work in partnership with local people to keep the community, and young people in particular, safe from violence and the trauma associated with it.”

Peter Babudu, Director of Impact at the Youth Endowment Fund, said: “The Youth Endowment Fund has a unique mission – to find out what works to prevent children and young people from becoming involved in violence and building a movement to put that knowledge into practice.

“Through our Neighbourhood Fund, we have an incredible opportunity to understand how empowering local people in small areas can make a difference. By giving communities control of how money is spent and supporting them to deliver the programmes they want to see, we can find out how community engagement and partnership approaches help to keep children safe from violence.

“We’re delighted to be working with our partners in each of these five areas, learning together as we go. Through these partnerships – and through future rounds of our Neighbourhood Fund – we look forward to investing in local communities to offer support children and young people in their areas.”

About the Youth Endowment Fund

• The Youth Endowment Fund is an independent charitable trust. It was founded by Impetus, a charity focused on transforming the lives of disadvantaged young people. ·
• Find out more at www.youthendowmentfund.org.uk
• Follow them on Twitter: @YouthEndowFund
• To find out more about the Youth Endowment Fund’s Neighbourhood Fund, please visit their website.

Hyperlocal areas receiving funding:

The other areas the Neighbourhood Fund will invest in are:

• Barkerend, an inner-city area of Bradford.
• Grangetown and Butetown, just south of the city of Cardiff.
• Cheetham Hill, north of Manchester city centre.
• Nelson, an area close to the town centre and seafront in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.