Routes to Community Success
Routes to Community Success programme to develop a model approach to youth work design and delivery.
Cornwall is one of three areas in England selected as a partner for the National Youth Agency (NYA)‘s Routes to Community Success programme.
The programme, made possible with funding from the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF), aims to pilot a collaborative and youth-led approach to designing youth work services over the next two years.
Cornwall, Norfolk and West Northamptonshire are the three test-bed areas, along with a strand focussing on digital youth work, which is being overseen by the NYA.
The NYA has been awarded funding of £495,155 from the NLCF to deliver Routes to Community Success with the aim of gathering evidence to inform a model approach for boosting the capacity of the youth sector, through the co-design of services with young people and building the skills, capacity and resilience of grassroots providers.
Each area has been awarded seed funding from the Routes to Community Success programme to help leverage match funding to embark on their youth work development activities.
Naomi Osmond has been appointed as Community Lead will oversee the recruitment of 15 local Youth Ambassadors who will engage with young people across the area, to ensure that their needs and aspirations, relating to their local youth work offer, inform the development plans.
Youth Ambassadors will benefit from in-person training, mentoring and peer support drawing upon the expertise, tools and development frameworks of the NYA, to develop their knowledge of community engagement, youth voice and effective youth participation. The lottery funding is also enabling an independent evaluation of the programme.
Local practitioners and volunteers will benefit from training to build their skills in areas such as youth participation, in line with feedback from young people to improve the quality of their youth work services.
An evaluation of the programme will measure the extent to which the quality of provision has been improved through youth participation and a more joined up approach by providers. The NYA will publish a final report in spring 2025 to help share the learning from the programme across the youth work sector.
We are delighted to oversee this initiative which will help build the evidence-base for creating a more cohesive youth offer, to ensure it responds to need, is high quality and more sustainable. The programme complements the work of the Young People’s Foundation Trust which is also providing support through its Local Partnerships Fund to build more effective collaboration across youth organisations.
Through the project at least eight local organisations in Cornwall will put in place organisational development plans, leading to training and capacity building opportunities, identified in partnership with the local young people who will benefit from their services.
National Youth Agency
Not only will this programme build the capacity of the youth work offer in the pilot areas, and support our pans to disseminate best practice around digital youth work, but it will give 60 young people exposure to youth work and community engagement through the skills and experience they will acquire through the role.
National Youth Agency
I’m really excited that Cornwall’s young people are being given the opportunity to shape and develop youth provision locally, this type of young people lead initiative really fits with the ethos of youth work and enables real potential for growth and development of the youth work sector. I am looking forward to working closely with colleagues across the county to strengthen the sector and create opportunities for grass roots youth work to really thrive here.
Cornwall Voluntary Sector Forum
Cornwall VSF is leading this project on behalf of Cornwall Youth Work Collective. The Collective’s steering group includes members from Action for Children, BF Adventure, Cornwall Council, Cornwall VSF and Young People Cornwall and is focused on developing opportunities for young people in the county, to ensure more high quality provision is available.
Find out more about these organisations by visiting their websites below.
Action for Children
Action for Children protects and supports children and young people, providing practical and emotional care and support, ensuring their voices are heard, and campaigning to bring lasting improvements to their lives.
BF Adventure
Our mission is to support children and young people on a journey of positive change. We give them the tools to identify and overcome their own challenges, and give them an overall sense of empowerment.
Cornwall Council
Cornwall Council is the local authority for Cornwall, offering a range of services and information for residents, businesses and visitors.
National Lottery Community Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund distributes over £600m a year to communities across the UK, raised by players of The National Lottery
National Youth Agency
The National Youth Agency (NYA) is passionate about the right of every young person to be able to access the personal, social, and educational development opportunities provided by youth work.
Young People Cornwall
Supporting young people aged 16 – 25 to improve their mental health and well-being with a combination of 1:1 or group work across Cornwall, to respond to need.
Young People’s Foundation Trust
Established in 2021, Young People Foundations Trust (YPF Trust) is an organisation that grows, supports and enables place-based collaboration and partnerships focused on the needs of young people and the organisations that support them – we do this through a growing network of Young People’s Foundations (YPFs).