$485k funding for councils to support youth

  • Nikki Kaye
Youth

Youth Minister Nikki Kaye says 25 councils will benefit from around $485,000 of funding under the 2015 Youth Development Partnership Fund.

“This fund is about helping councils get young people aged 12 to 24 involved in and leading projects that are meaningful to both them and their communities.

“It’s important that young people are involved in local decision-making, so that their views are reflected in the projects and facilities around them.

“This funding helps councils do this, as well as enabling the young people involved to develop valuable skills such as leadership and entrepreneurial ability.

“Since the fund was launched in 2005, more than 50 councils have received funding.

“This year, there’s a greater emphasis on supporting social enterprise projects. These are projects that take a commercial approach to solving social or environmental challenges.

“The 2015 funding will support everything from helping young people organise and stage music concerts, to projects that involve stabilising and reintroducing local bird life, building and maintaining a community garden, and identifying ways to address bullying and share anti-bullying messages.

“The ideas for these projects have come from young New Zealanders, and it’s great to be able to support not only them but the local councils who can help them turn their ideas into reality.”

View the 2015 Youth Development Partnership Fund recipients at: http://www.myd.govt.nz/documents/ydfp-documents/youth-development-partnership-fund-round-11-approved-applicants.pdf.