Young Start funding puts young Scots in control
12 youth led projects share £930k of Young Start funding
Twelve projects, run for and by young people, are celebrating after sharing in more than £930k from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Young Start fund today (FRIDAY 12 AUGUST).
Young Start, delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund, awards dormant bank account funding to projects that help young people reach their full potential.
Although arthritis is a condition more often associated with older people in Scotland, two in 100 children under 16 (18,427) are reported to be living with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition related to arthritis *, and many thousands more between 16-25 live with other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
Many young people need ongoing support to manage the daily physical and mental issues they face and, thanks to an award of £87,958, Versus Arthritis will support young people across Scotland to come to terms with this long term and painful condition.
The funding means they can continue a holistic support service helping hundreds more young people like 16-year-old Sarah Aitken from Glasgow who was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in March 2020. JIA is an autoimmune condition that affects people under 16, where the immune system attacks the joints causing inflammation, pain, swelling, and chronic fatigue.
Sarah said: “I was diagnosed when I was 13 and it took around six months and lots of tests and scans to be diagnosed. I was really scared and anxious about treatment and my future - and still am - but also very relieved to know why I was getting the symptoms.
“On a daily basis I face pain, fatigue and the mental health aspects such as low mood as a result of living with a chronic illness. Some days I also feel very nauseous and unwell because of my medication side effects. All of these things make it very difficult for me to be able to live the life I want.
“Meeting other young people with arthritis has been really beneficial to me. Before I went to the Versus Arthritis workshops, I didn’t know any people my age with JIA or any condition like it, and it has been really helpful to make friends with people with similar conditions and share experiences and advice. I feel a lot less alone, and always have friends to talk to about it if I’m having a bad day.”
Klaire Connor, Young People & Families Manager at Versus Arthritis said: “The pain, isolation and fatigue of arthritis has a huge physical and mental impact on younger people like Sarah. Many miss out on social events or experience disruptions to their learning due to things like medication side effects, attending medical appointments, and the unpredictable flaring up of symptoms.
“Our Young People and Families Service in Scotland helps to provide one-to-one clinical sessions and peer support through a variety of social events, including workshops and an arts programme. Many of the young people who come along to our events for the first time have never met another young person with arthritis and come away feeling more confident and less isolated.”
The Lyra – Connections 2.0 project in Edinburgh will use their award of £95,499 to develop an annual arts festival, commission 12 new creative projects, as well as running a series of weekly arts sessions.
Anna Plasberg-Hill, Engagement Producer, Lyra- Connections 2.0, said: “This funding means we can create opportunities where young people are genuinely engaged as decision-makers, supported to create their own work and to share their incredible achievements with their local community and beyond. We’re so proud of every young person involved and we can’t wait to get started.”
Announcing today’s funding, The National Lottery Community Fund, Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “Whether it’s fuelling creative ideas to boost future career opportunities, or directly supporting and improving physical and mental health issues, this funding will benefit thousands of young people across the country.
“To be able to showcase some of the latest projects being funded is especially fitting on International Youth Day as the vital work they do will help young Scots overcome many of the real challenges that they face on a day-to-day basis.
“We are always keen to support projects through our Young Start fund that put Scotland’s young people at the heart of the development and running of services. If your group has an idea how you would make this happen, then we’d love to hear from you.”
Young Start helps young people aged eight to 24 become more confident and play an active part in realising their potential. Funding of up to £100,000 is available for youth led projects.
Groups can apply by emailing advicescotland@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk or calling 0300 123 7110.
Find out more at: https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/young-start
