Island charity and community groups have received an early Christmas gift courtesy of the Isle of Wight Foundation, a charitable foundation funded by the partners in Island Roads.
Nine organisations have received funds of between £4,500-£14,000 under the Foundation grant scheme to help support projects on the Island which tackle social exclusion – whether by helping provide access to training and employment or by building better communities.
The projects include:
GROW (Giving Residents Opportunities and Wellbeing) – helping support disadvantaged young people aged 16-25 to gain successful training, education and employment.
Isle of Wight Law Centre – ensuring access to housing for homeless individuals who are not eligible to receive support from the local authority.
IYWAC (Island Youth Water Activities Centre) – helping support young people aged 7-19 who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), disadvantaged or disaffected to gain confidence, competence and fitness through watersports activities.
Niton Community Projects – creating a multi-use community facility to promote social integration in Niton and the surrounding areas.
Storeroom2010 – helping train unemployed people over the age of 18, with few, if any skills, to learn a trade and gain skills and qualifications to help in their search for employment.
OSEL Enterprises – The Way Forward Programme – supporting young people and adults with learning or physical disabilities to prepare for and enter employment by providing training, helping them to develop skills or securing qualifications.
UKSA (United Kingdom Sailing Academy) – providing training and engagement programmes for young people who are disengaged from society, giving them training, skills and emotional resilience to overcome their personal barriers.
West Wight Sports Centre Trust – increasing opportunities for training and skills development, improving employability and IT knowledge amongst residents living in the West Wight area.
YMCA – to support disadvantaged young people aged 19-25 to participate in a project called YMCA: Futures to help develop their self-confidence, creativity and employability.
All projects will be delivered by the various groups during 2015.
Phil Jackson, Chair of the Isle of Wight Foundation Board said, “We’re delighted to have been able to award funding to such a wide and varied range of projects – projects that we believe will make a real difference to the Island community.
Emma Corina, Area Director YMCA Isle of Wight said, “We’re thrilled to receive this funding from the Isle of Wight Foundation and it will make a massive difference in terms of the help we are able to give disadvantaged young people on the Island. It’s not often you get the chance to apply for capital funds – the sort of money that makes a real and tangible difference to help get projects up and running. We can’t wait to get started on our project.”
Launched in the summer of 2014 Isle of Wight Foundation is funded jointly by Ringway Island Roads, Meridiam, Foundation d’enterprise VINCI pour la Cité and VINCI Concessions. A total of up to £80,000 was made available for the grant scheme in 2014.
The next grant scheme is due to be announced by the Isle of Wight Foundation in February 2015. In the meantime, information and regular updates on all of the projects can be found at http://www.islandroads.com/137-iw-foundation.html
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