More children and young people in Middlesbrough will be able to access youth club activities thanks to new council funding.
Eleven new clubs or activities will launch after Mayor Chris Cooke introduced a £240,000 fund to help ensure young people can enjoy sessions close to home.
Mayor Cooke led moves earlier this year to increase the number of youth clubs and activities where children can access free and supervised fun.
Areas including Easterside, Linthorpe, Trimdon, Marton and Nunthorpe will now benefit from new youth services – closing the gap to opportunities that existed in those parts of town.
Extra activity will also be added in Acklam, Coulby Newham, Park End, the town centre and Brambles Farm.
Mayor Cooke said:
This is about creating opportunities for all young people, regardless of where they live, and giving them things to do in their spare time.
Youth clubs are so powerful in the way they can positively influence young people.
Whether they’re based on sport, gaming or life skills like cooking, they offer a safe space for children to come together and socialise. They’re so important.
Organisations and providers from around the town were invited to bid for funding to put on new activities.
Grants of up to £10,000 were available to help new and emerging groups get started. Funding of up to £20,000 was on offer for organisations that already had venues and staffing in place.
The new activities are for children aged 10 to 16 - or up to 18 for young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
The 11 new offers will be inclusive for children with additional needs.
Areas without any youth club activities were prioritised so that opportunities could be made available to all young people.
The investment in youth club activities comes alongside the Mayor’s 10 by 10 scheme. The programme, which was piloted earlier this year, will see children given access to 10 positive life-changing experiences before they reach the age of 10.
Middlesbrough Council is also investing extra funding into school holiday activities for young people, building on the success of the government’s Holiday Activities and Food programme.
Mayor Cooke added:
Widening access to things like this and breaking down barriers for people regardless of their background is all part of making Middlesbrough thrive.
Middlesbrough Council is now looking to finalise arrangements for what would be suitable for young people in the last remaining ward without a youth services offer.
Details on individual clubs and how children can access them will be promoted in the coming weeks.