Who should be awarded the cash? Let the city’s young people decide
YOUTH community projects in Cardiff could be in line for windfalls of up to £1,500 – and the city’s young people can help choose which projects get the cash.
The grants will be handed out by Cardiff Volunteer Centre and its bosses want to hear from young people aged 14 to 25 to select the recipients.
“£1,500 can seem like a lot of money for teenagers. We want to start them on a path of engaging them in the community,” said Kailee Carella, volunteer coordinator.
All it takes is for you to give it a try!”
Kailee Carella, Volunteer Coordinator
Cardiff Volunteer Centre is the organisation behind the project known as ‘Youth Led’. It was set up to help younger people act on ideas they feel might benefit the community. Last year’s winners included a youth-led cafe in Grangetown that wanted to help people their age to learn valuable employment skills and boost their confidence about going into the working world.
“We want to make a big effort to reach out to people who haven’t considered volunteering before, because it really is something everyone can get involved in,” said Ms Carella
CVC describe themselves as a hub for volunteers in Cardiff. They want to help connect people searching for volunteering opportunities to charities and organisations that are in need of help.
Their focus has always been on helping empower a wide range of people to get involved in their community, particularly young people who may feel intimidated due to lack of experience.
The opportunity is open to anyone aged 14-25 who lives in Cardiff. You do not need previous volunteer experience to apply, as they want to encourage people who are nervous about trying something new to get involved.
“We are looking for diversity in every sense. Young people offer a different perspective to volunteering,” said support officer Magdalena Thomas.
Ms Carella added: “There is a common misconception with some of our volunteering roles, such as becoming a trustee. You do not have to be a certain age or have lots of experience. Volunteering comes in a lot of different forms. All it takes is for you to give it a try.”
