Young people in Sunderland are set to benefit from nearly £300,000 in National Lottery funding aimed at expanding youth-led opportunities and strengthening grassroots youth provision.
The funding, awarded to North East charity The Key by The National Lottery Community Fund, will support youth work across the region. In Sunderland, the programme will be delivered in partnership with Sunderland All Together Consortium, helping more young people access meaningful activities and support within their communities.
For more than 30 years, The Key has 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 The Key to widen access to the KEY+ Challenge in Sunderland, supporting 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 worked with The Key to deliver 228 youth-led projects, involving more than 1,000 young people and benefiting over 19,000 community members. 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 – including Sunderland – with more than 550 young people expected to benefit overall. In Sunderland, the partnership approach will help connect local organisations, strengthen existing provision, and ensure young people are supported by trusted adults within their own communities.
In total, young people will lead almost 200 youth-led projects, each designed around their interests and priorities – supporting young people in Sunderland to develop skills for life, strengthen their confidence and create meaningful local impact.
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 across Sunderland, 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.
Rebecca Maw, CEO of The Key, said:
“We’re delighted to receive this funding and to be able to invest directly in young people’s ideas while strengthening the grassroots organisations delivering vital work in communities. When young people are empowered and supported to lead, they make active choices and develop the skills and self-belief they need to shape their futures and play an active role in their communities.
This investment means more young people will have the opportunity, support from trusted adults, and confidence to shape fulfilling futures and realise their opinions matter.”
This investment marks a significant step forward for youth-led activity in Sunderland, supporting more young people to access opportunities, build skills, and shape positive futures within their communities.
