Case study
Leeds City Council worked with various partners to
set up a system of ‘Youth Hubs’. These created central points that offered a
range of services to young people. The project needed to be professionally run
and compliant with good practice in order to attract funding. It also needed to
gain the involvement of young people so that they would feel some ownership of
the hubs’ activities and therefore be encouraged to take advantage of the
services on offer.
To obtain funds it was important to prepare and
submit bids that were compliant with the funders’ requirements, but the
proposals contained within the bids needed to be attractive and meaningful to
the young people who would benefit from the hubs’ services.
Rather than merely consulting young people for
their views the project made young people partners in the endeavour and asked
them to take the lead in writing and presenting the bids. They were offered
help and support with the bidding process, but the ideas and approaches
contained within the bids were generated, developed and presented by the young
people themselves.
The bids were successful, the hubs were set up and
young people began using the services.
The success of this project was due to its ability
to marry predictable, compliant and consistent good practice with the
unpredictable, less compliant creativity of young people.