The grant is part of a significant £20m funding package that NCS Trust have awarded to organisations across England for the delivery of community-based experiences at a local and grassroots level. 

Such new experiences will complement NCS’s existing away from home residential offer by providing more opportunities for teenagers to engage in local activities that foster skills development, deepen their understanding of the community, and empower them to contribute positively to its improvement. 

The grants will also support organisations that cater to specific groups of young people who may not have participated in previous NCS initiatives.  

In collaboration with the National Youth Agency and StreetGames, NCS assessed more than 400 applications and the wildlife charity was selected as one of around 100 organisations to receive funding.  

The grant will allow Northumberland Wildlife Trust to deliver Eco Influencers, a youth-led project supporting up to 80 young people, aged 16 -17, in schools, youth or community groups as they design and deliver environmental projects to benefit their local communities.

Projects could range from creating wildlife spaces and monitoring wildlife to hosting clothes swapping events - all with the aim of helping young people improve their wellbeing and connection to nature, whilst building skills and friendships along the way.

Initial target areas will include Cramlington, Bedlington and Blyth in Northumberland and urban areas in Newcastle.

Julia Carr, Northumberland Wildlife Trust Wild City Manager says:

“This wonderful grant from NCS will help us to support more young people as they strive to make a difference for the environment. The Eco Influencers project is that little bit different as it’s youth-led, allowing young people to make decisions and lead the way on their own projects. It will show them that their amazing ideas can become reality with belief and hard work.”

Mark Gifford, CEO of NCS Trust says:

“I am delighted to welcome a diverse range of local, grassroots and community organisations from across the youth sector to deliver reimagined NCS experiences. This allows us to reach more young people than ever before, ensuring they are equipped with the skills and perspective to become work ready and world ready. Additionally, our grants for targeted experiences will enable us to reach underserved young people and communities.” 

 Mark Gifford continues:

Together, we will work towards creating a country of confident, connected, caring citizens where everyone feels at home.” 

 Over the past decade, more than 800,000 young people have benefitted from an NCS experience, dedicating over 18 million hours to community based social action, while gaining invaluable life experiences. 

Any schools, youth or community groups interested in joining Eco Influencers should visit www.nwt.org.uk/what-we-do/projects/eco-influencers-scheme for more information or contact Liz Heard, at liz.heard@northwt.org.uk