.png)
The Bradford City FC Community Foundation will empower the voice of young people in our communities, thanks to funding from a pioneering youth-led programme.
Supported by the EFL Trust, the Foundation will be a regional delivery partner for the Peer Action Collective
(PAC) which gives young people the chance to make their communities safer, fairer places to live.
The Bradford City FC Community Foundation will empower the voice of young people in our communities, thanks to funding from a pioneering youth-led programme.
Supported by the EFL Trust, the Foundation will be a regional delivery partner for the Peer Action Collective (PAC) which gives young people the chance to make their communities safer, fairer places to live.
PAC is funded by the Youth Endowment Fund, the #iwill Fund (a joint investment between The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) and the Co-op, supporting young people to take the lead.
Pavan Sembi, the Foundation's Head of PAC, said: "We’re delighted to be chosen as a regional partner for the Peer Action collective in delivering this ground-breaking youth voice programme. At the Foundation we are well experienced in providing support to young people within our communities, and we’re very much looking forward to providing that helping hand to hundreds of local people to lead successful, impactful projects.”
Since launching in 2021, PAC has seen over 6,800 young people across the country taking on the issues affecting their local communities and creating solutions. Over the next five years PAC will impact the lives of over 11,000 young people in England and Wales through peer research and social action.
PAC is a ground-breaking network of Peer Researchers, Social Action Leads and Changemakers.
Young people with lived experience of violence find out what needs to happen to make their area a better place to live and turn it into action. From influencing school practises, to improving local mental health services, co-producing violence reduction strategies or supporting more young people into employment – together, they are ensuring that young voices respond to issues that directly affect them.
Dominik Stingas-Paczko, Head of Participation and Community Engagement at the EFL Trust, said: “Our Club Community Organisations use the power of the Club badge to drive positive change in their communities. Young people are our future, have so much to offer and are incredibly determined to improve the community they live in. The Peer Action Collective network will build on the commitment and support provided to young people and offer a platform for them to take action and have their voice heard.”
Helen Goulden OBE, Chief Executive of The Young Foundation added: “The Peer Action Collective’s youth-led approach has already shown huge potential to reduce experiences of violence and shape a fairer future. As we launch into a five-year programme, I am genuinely excited about what might be achieved and the power of younger people to effect the change they want to see in the world around them.”
To find out more about the project, visit the Youth Endowment Fund’s website. To find out more about Co-op’s work with young people, please visit: coop.co.uk/gamechangers.