TAYSIDE YMCA
Covering Perth City, the YMCA provides a variety of youth work services and support programmes to young people, mainly from disadvantaged backgrounds including those who require early intervention, those who are underachieving, those who have addiction issues, offender’s and those affected by homelessness.
Annual Award: £107,100
Outcome 1: More security and sustainabiity with core and programme support
The money we get contributes to 1/5 of our overall budget. When you know you have this guaranteed for at least 3 years it takes a lot of pressure off and helped support the core of the organisation.
Outcome 2: Reduced time on applications and reporting
Before the partnership was formed although we knew each other we all operated as individuals and there was a bit of territorial protection going on with organisations applying for their own funding. Within the UYW partnership we are starting to see that move from organisations working individually to working collaboratively, developing joint funding and reporting strategies. This will hopefully lead to us supporting each other’s work as part of moving forward and help embed youthwork within the education system in Perth and Kinross
Outcome 3: Shared knowledge, expertise and resources through structured networking and monitoring
Without the meetings we wouldn’t have built the trust we have and share the knowledge we bring to the partnership. And if Gannochy and PKC withdrew their funding, or it came to an end we still have that network in place. The partner only meetings were seen as a good opportunity for organisations to come together to develop relationships and practice...the intention is to use the time together and get a better understanding of what partners do in the different areas.
Outcome 4: Increased profile, voice and value from being part of an authority wide collective
The partnership has allowed us to apply for particular funding steams [Education Recovery/CashBack] and in turn has connected us with different partners for example Perth Autism, Perth Carers and schools across the area. On a personal level the funding has positioned us well with the Quality Improvement Officer and the Inclusion Manager who now see the YMCA as representing the youth work sector across Perth and Kinross. This has strengthened our reputation and increased our profile. The detached work has shone a spotlight on us and made us a source of intelligence on what's going on in the city.