Over 200 young people from Chelmsford have benefited from support thanks to grants from the Essex Violence and Vulnerability Unit (VVU).
The VVU undertakes interventions, awareness and education programmes to support young people, families and communities to live positive lives free of crime.
A VVU grant of £20,000 was given to YMCA Essex to develop a new free to attend Friday night youth club in Chelmsford City Centre for young people age 10-17 years, providing multiple activities in a safe place with qualified youth workers.
Becky Whitaker, Youth Services Manager, YMCA Essex, is really pleased with the results. She said: “The project has been a huge success! In addition to regular activities, Y-Club offers a diverse variety of specialist workshops each week, helping young people develop new skills, boost confidence, and channel their energy positively. Y-Club breaks down barriers, helping young people explore new skills, make independent choices, and redefine their potential – unlocking confidence they didn’t know they had”.
North Avenue Youth Centre was provided with funding to run Friday evening youth sessions for secondary school aged young people, providing a safe space in an identified area of Chelmsford. The project team were clearly trusted and were asked to extend the sessions to include the summer holidays. They worked with the young people around tricky subjects such as inclusion, conflict, relationships and anti-bullying.
Charlie Newton, Youth Centre Manager, North Avenue Youth Centre said: “This funding ensures Friday nights run consistently, forming the backbone of much of our work. These sessions enable us to build trust, understand young people’s needs, signpost to specialist support, run trips, residentials and focused projects, thereby delivering wide-reaching, committed support that makes a real difference.”
Across the county the VVU awarded £312,508 to 17 projects to support young people. The schemes have focused on creating safe spaces for young people to go. These safe spaces then supported the young people in a number of ways, including raising self-esteem and confidence, building resilience and improving mental and physical wellbeing.
Feedback from young people has been good. In a recent survey, that asked a sample of young people from each project about the impact of the project, 90% agreed it had enabled them to build connections with trusted adults. 83% said it made them feel safer, 82% believed their voice was heard and 82% thought it had a positive impact of their mental and physical wellbeing.
Roger Hirst, PFCC for Essex and Chair of the Violence and Vulnerability Partnership said: “The VVU community grant programme is a real success story, it funds projects in local areas to do targeted work based on what communities need in order to protect and support children from becoming involved in serious violence. From mentoring to youth clubs, drama to sports session, projects are delivering the activities that young people not only want to engage in, but we know keep them supported and safe. I personally want to thank all those who’ve been involved in last year’s programme and remind community groups there is still time to apply for the 2026/27 grant.”
The Violence and Vulnerability Unit Community Grant Scheme is available annually for local groups to develop bespoke local support for young people, based on what young people have said is needed in their local community.
To discover more and to apply for the Violence and Vulnerability Unit Community Grant Scheme for delivery in 2026 /27, visit www.ecvys.org.uk/funding-news. Applications must be received by 10 September at noon.
