Bright future for Irvine young people
The Big Lottery Fund has given £1m to a project to help local unemployed young people contribute to a 'green' economy.
Impact Arts will work with Irvine Bay to deliver to the exciting project to help Irvine young people step up and create what is rightfully theirs: a healthy planet, a thriving economy and a brighter future. The programme will introduce young, unemployed people with little or no experience of environmental issues to nature, environmental awareness and green skills through practical, creative and fun projects.
Three months on from the Paris climate change agreement, the Big Lottery Fund is investing £33 million in more than 30 organisations to inspire and develop the next generation of environmental leaders. Impact Arts is receiving £1 million.
The Funding for the local project comes from which is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and run by a consortium of eight organisations, led by The Wildlife Trusts. The partnership has a proven track record of working with and empowering young people in communities of all social circumstances.
As well as building confidence and developing employability skills, the project will provide a lasting legacy for the local community by creating new urban or green spaces, which will be creatively designed, have environmental issues at their core and educate through innovative interpretive material.
Fiona Doring, Acting Director of Impact Arts said: “I’m delighted that Impact Arts has been chosen to deliver this innovative new programme. Working with partners across Scotland, we’re giving young people the creative skills and practical experience to tackle environmental challenges and empower them to work towards a better future for themselves and their communities.”
Marion Francis, Project Manager at Irvine Bay Regeneration Company said:
“We look forward to working with Impact Arts to deliver this innovative and creative programme to enhance our environment in i3, Irvine’s Enterprise Area and the surrounding area. Our aim is to attract jobs and investment to North Ayrshire, and developing our young peoples’ work skills and raising aspirations is key to ensuring that they benefit from these very same jobs being created.”
Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts said: “Our Bright Future is an innovative movement for change. It is brilliant that the Big Lottery Fund has recognised that societal and environmental challenges are two sides of the same coin. The programme supports young people to develop the skills needed to thrive in the workplace and it does so through the environment. We want to see a generation of courageous and wise leaders empowered to change our world for the better.”
Peter Ainsworth, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund said:“The environment is where we live. Our Bright Future is designed to unleash the ambition of young people across the UK to make a personal and collective contribution to making our environment brighter, happier and more resilient to threats like climate change and the waste of natural resources.
“This initiative over the next seven years aims to join up the social, economic and environmental benefits that will come from enabling young people to shape their own future and others that follow them.”
aims to tackle three big challenges facing society today - a lack of social cohesion, a lack of opportunities for young people and vulnerability to climate change. Thirty one youth-led projects across the UK are each receiving around £1m of funding to give young people the skills and knowledge to improve their local environments – from reducing marine pollution to minimising food waste. In doing so, young people will develop the confidence and resilience to become environmental leaders and influence decisions at local and national levels. This young, ambitious and capable movement is ensuring this generation’s voice is heard in the current debates around environmental improvements and a resource-efficient economy.