We're celebrating after securing almost £300,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund to expand access to quality youth‑led opportunities and strengthen grassroots youth provision across the region. For more than 30 years, we have worked alongside youth and community organisations to empower young people to use their voices, develop their ideas and lead projects that build confidence, skills and fulfilling futures.

The funding will enable us to widen access to the KEY+ Challenge, which supports young people to plan and lead their own projects. Through KEY+, young people are given the space, support and resources to explore the things that matter to them, take ownership of their ideas, and develop practical skills that support their next steps in life.

Last year, young people delivered 228 youth-led projects, involving more than 1,000 young people and benefiting over 19,000 community members as part of the KEY+ Challenge. These projects demonstrated the powerful impact of trusting young people to shape and deliver change within their communities.

The new investment from The National Lottery Community Fund will support youth work across three youth partnership areas - Durham, Sunderland and a third area to be confirmed - benefiting more than 550 young people. In total, young people will lead almost 200 youth-led projects, each designed around their interests and priorities.

Alongside this, £170,000 of the funding will be directed straight into communities to support young people’s ideas and fund vital youth work hours on the ground. This will strengthen the capacity of grassroots organisations, provide much‑needed resource in communities most in need, and help remove barriers that often prevent smaller organisations from delivering high‑quality youth-led opportunities. The investment will support a stronger, more connected youth sector across the North East while ensuring more young people can take part.