WIREDGOV

Fifteen projects from deprived neighbourhoods across England will share the £10million pot - the areas chosen having identified low aspiration as a barrier to their young people achieving their potential. Projects from Barking and Dagenham, Cumbria, Manchester, Rotherham, Stoke on Trent, Barnsley, Kent and Bristol are among the ones chosen.

The Inspiring Communities initiative is about getting people in communities working together to boost the aspirations and achievements of their young people. It includes projects broadening young people’s horizons by setting up volunteering programmes, visits to university campuses, theatres and museums; projects providing advice to young people to undertake work experience placements, further and higher education; and projects raising parents’ aspirations and self confidence so they can support their children to make the most of opportunities available to them.

Harriet Harman and Rosie Winterton today visited Vibe Youth Club in Barking and Dagenham.

Local Government Minister Rosie Winterton said:

"We need to allow talented youngsters, no matter where they live or what their parents do, to fulfil their potential. We recognise that young people from poorer communities can be less likely to aim high and can have low self esteem, low aspirations and limited horizons that act as barriers to success.

"This fund is about taking steps to redress that balance and goes to support those community-led projects that will best foster young people’s talents. Funding will help young people broaden their horizons, grow in confidence and learn about opportunities that are available to them. ”

Minister for Women and Equality Harriet Harman said:

"We know that inequality is grounded not just in who you are but your family or the place you were born. Better-off children overtake more able, poorer children at school by the age of six. 
 
"The Inspiring Communities partnerships are important steps forward in achieving fair and equal chances for all."

Parents, schools, businesses, third-sector organisations and local agencies will run the initiatives – bringing together as many people and organisations as possible who can help youngsters on the road to success.

To ensure local people can make the most difference to help young people achieve their potential, the projects will be working in innovative ways such as pooling and aligning budgets between partners to achieve the best value for money and best delivery of services.

Among the successful projects are:

• Barking and Dagenham’s activities will include community gardening, parental support and advice services, a community youth radio station and volunteer mentoring;
• A Stoke on Trent project will provide visits to university campuses and colleges for local young people;
• A project in Kent will arrange visits to workplaces, local artists and Dragon’s Den type activities;
• In North East Lincolnshire young people will be able to learn about careers in the Fire and Rescue Service including having the opportunity to achieve a BTEC qualification in fire and rescue;
• A Rotherham project will provide parent mentoring and help with understanding school grades and study opportunities; and
• A social enterprise project in Norfolk will set up a community café providing training and work experience for the whole community including growing their own produce for the café.

Inspiring Communities is a joint initiative from Communities and Local Government, the Department for Children Schools and Families and the Cabinet Office. It has also secured support right across Whitehall, with a further 11 Government departments committed to encouraging ambitious and creative work locally.

Schools Minister Diana Johnson said:
 
"We are making good progress in narrowing attainment gaps but it is essential that we continue to target children and young people who live in deprived communities because they may not have the confidence to put themselves forward for opportunities to learn new skills, and their parents may have similarly low aspirations. 
 
"We know that parents are the most important factor in a child's educational achievement which is why the projects announced today will be run by parents, schools and businesses together. I hope that the exciting volunteering and work placement experiences – like gaining qualifications in fire and rescue - will help to break the link between disadvantage and attainment so that we can further reduce inequalities.”

Minister for the Third Sector Angela Smith said:

"I am pleased to see the work of the Cabinet Office's Social Exclusion Task Force come to fruition with DCLG's announcement of the 15 successful 'Inspiring Communities'. The Task Force has demonstrated that by targeting young people in deprived communities and working with parents, teachers and neighbourhoods, we can really make a difference and help raise young people's aspirations and educational attainment. This is a great new initiative; building on the Government's commitment to tackle social exclusion and promote social mobility."