Youth Empowerment Scheme

The Youth Empowerment Scheme is a grant fund delivered by the Community Foundation for Merseyside in partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside and the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership. It targets community projects offering diversionary activities including arts, culture, digital skills, and sports to support young people aged under 25 years who may be more vulnerable to experiencing violence and at risk of anti-social behaviour. This could be due to lack of self-esteem, social isolation, challenges at home, or living in communities where drugs and alcohol are prevalent or infrastructure and accessible services are lacking. The fund prioritizes community provision and out-of-school-hours engagement, with interventions falling into four types: Prevention (awareness-raising or psycho-social education), Early Intervention (developmental and diversionary youth outreach), Therapeutic (tailored interventions), and Desistence (programs to cease offending or reoffending). Successful applicants must attend a mandatory free trauma-informed awareness session covering principles such as understanding trauma, compassion, safety, collaboration, and resilience. Funding must be spent by 31st March 2026 and must include youth engagement during summer school holidays and October half-term/Halloween/bonfire night periods. Applications should demonstrate young people's involvement in co-production, co-design, or co-evaluation of programs. The fund encourages capacity building costs and consortium/partnership applications. Priority areas include specific communities in St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, Liverpool, and Knowsley identified through data from the Trauma & Injury Intelligence Group Data Hub. Target outcomes include increased participation in arts, culture, and sports; improved mental health and wellbeing; enhanced personal safety perception; improved social and emotional skills; increased awareness of violent crime and child criminal exploitation; improved aspirations; and increased awareness of online harm and vulnerability.