Four-year project for young people receives £330,000

The grant is part of the Reaching Communities programme and will fund the Adur and Worthing Youth COAST project.

Creating opportunities, activities, support and training are the buzzwords for this project, which aims to support vulnerable young people aged 14 to 26 who are facing significant levels of social and educational disadvantage.

Cat Vizor, Esteem chief officer, said: “It’s an awesome feeling that our hard work and volunteering over the last eight years, from our team of adults and young people, has received national recognition.

“We’re proud to invite local businesses, residents and young people to get on board as we begin this exciting new chapter.”

Esteem, a youth-led charity based in Shoreham, provides a platform for young people aged 14 to 26 to help themselves on their journey to achieving meaningful employment and their own true life goals.

The COAST project will develop community integration to strengthen the young people’s personal skills, aspirations, self-esteem, life skills, and potential career opportunities.

Over the next four years, the main activities will focus on vocational and personal development to aid positive change.

A community integration mentoring programme will match experienced adult mentors with young people and the project will deliver volunteering opportunities, events, confidence building and well-being activities.

Adur Voluntary Action greatly supported Esteem in its bid, as the partner organisation. The Reaching Communities grant is extremely competitive, with fewer than one in ten proposals succeeding.

Esteem runs weekly youth drop-ins on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6pm to 8pm at The Old School House, in Ham Road, in conjunction with arts charity Company Paradiso.

It also provides training courses, including first aid, cookery and food hygiene, as well as signposting to other community opportunities.