[WiLT] Help Yourselves Awards - apply for £1,000 by 11th July 2008

[WiL Admin]

Help Yourselves Awards - apply for £1,000 by 11th July 2008
(apologies that an emailing error means this wasn't circulated
earlier - deborah)

Save the Children and British Gas are pleased to announce the next
funding round of the Help Yourselves Awards.  You tell us what would
change the lives of children and young people in your community and
apply for a Help Yourselves Award of £1,000.

The Help Yourselves Awards, is a small grant funding scheme for
projects that:
* are strongly young person led and
* that improve the life chances of children and young people in
vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and those living in communities
experiencing severe poverty.

In a nutshell, we want to fund small, innovative projects, led by
young people - or projects that work with children and young people
and their ideas. So, if you have a great idea and you want to give it
a go at making it a reality .... read on ....

The next deadline for completed applications is FRIDAY 11 JULY  2008 -
with £1,000 funded projects expected to take place between SEPTEMBER
and the end of DECEMBER  2008.  Our website has full details of the
Help Yourselves Awards - where you can find a set of guidance notes,
an online application process, or the option to download a hard-copy
of the application form.

All enquiries about the Help Yourselves Awards can be e-mailed to
helpyourselves at savethechildren.org.uk

Full details at
http://www.helpyourselves.org.uk/helpyourselves/what-can-you-do/why-get-involved/index.jsp

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Children's rights and participation lie at the heart of Save the
Children's work and our Help Yourselves Awards programme. In all Award
applications, we are looking for project ideas that are led by young
people or from a grass roots community organisation that genuinely
wants to involve young people in a meaningful way. Often the best
ideas come from young people - and we want to hear them!

Projects must focus on improving children's and young people's life
chances.

What does getting involved mean?

Think about where you live, the places you go and the facilities you
use (like schools, parks and youth clubs). Are you happy with what's
on offer in your community? There's probably something you don't like
or reckon could be done a lot better. If you and your mates got
together and did something about it, imagine what you could achieve?

You've probably got all kinds of ideas, but maybe you haven't ever got
around to doing anything.

Maybe you don't know how to, or you're worried no one's going to take
you seriously. If you don't tell people about what matters, they
aren't going to bother to guess. Why not break the mould? Just because
something's always been done one way, that doesn't mean it's the best
way.

What sort of things can we fund

Project ideas should come from children and young people and involve
them at every stage. Project work must be community led / take place
at a grass roots level.

We will prioritise applications from groups who may face unfairness
and disadvantage in their lives. This may be because of issues to do
with, for example, geography, gender, ethnicity, or disability.

You like the idea of getting involved. Now what?

So you’ve got your idea sorted and a few people have said they might
be interested in helping out with your project.

Now you need to plan it.

Before you apply, please make sure you have really thought your idea
through. It is important to thoroughly consider what impact your
project idea could have, both to young people involved and also to the
wider community.

Careful planning is vital if you want your project to be a success. To
help you out, we've put together a checklist which you can use to get
your project started.

Make it happen

We will give Awards of £1,000, £5,000 and £10,000 during 2008. All
projects must focus on improving children and young people's life
chances. For the £5,000 and £10,000 Awards, we will work in
partnership with you to develop models of lasting change for children
and young people living in severe poverty.

Please read our guidance notes and conditions of funding carefully
before you apply.

You can apply online or download a Word document.

Start the process at
http://www.helpyourselves.org.uk/helpyourselves/what-can-you-do/why-get-involved/index.jsp