Social Justice

Report

This programme aims to help tackle the social injustice faced by young people living in the margins of society, particularly those making critical transitions in their lives, and those whose voices are least well heard by decision makers.

Since the programme began in 2006 we have assisted a wide range of inspirational individuals and organisations from across the UK to develop and sustain their work with marginalised young people. These young people include those excluded from employment and education opportunities, living in poverty, asylum seekers, refugees and migrants facing multiple barriers to integration, young offenders leaving prison, young people at risk of offending, those struggling with mental ill-health, victims of violence, exploitation, abuse and intolerance, and those with complex needs, including disability.

Shared findings

This year has seen the publication of reports from two of our earliest Special Initiatives – the Refugee and Asylum Seeker Fund, and the Reading and Libraries Challenge Fund. These initiatives comprised thematic grant-making with some opportunities for grantees to come together to share and learn. Both have helped to shape our newest initiative, Right Here, which seeks to develop new service models for better prevention and early intervention around young people’s mental health.

Through Right Here, and in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation, PHF offers grantees a wide base of assistance including grant funding, consultancy and evaluation support and expertise, help with youth involvement, learning sets and workshops for project leaders and staff, opportunities to share practice and experiences with other local and national organisations. This model of support is something that we will continue to develop in future initiatives.

Funder collaborations

In the current economic and social climate it becomes, arguably, even more important that trusts and foundations work together to find ways of making sure their funding has maximum impact, on both practice and policy.

During the past year we have joined the Corston Independent Funders’ Coalition, which works to ensure the implementation of a range of policy recommendations made by Baroness Corston in her 2007 review of how women and girls are treated in the criminal justice system.

We hope that a future collaborative initiative will enable us to help counter some common myths around migration issues. This year, along with other foundations including The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, Barrow Cadbury Trust, Unbound Philanthropy, City Parochial Foundation and Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, we have been working to develop a ‘blueprint’ for what it would take to make sure that political, media and societal discussions of migration and migrants draw on more robust and accurate evidence, and that unfair misrepresentations are challenged1.

As well as these collaborations, we continue to develop our understanding of policy and practice across the UK, through our membership of the Association of Charitable Foundations and its various Issue Based Networks (PHF now leads the Children and Young People IBN) and by playing an active role in other groups such as the Scottish Grant Making Trusts Group. This year we took part in an exchange visit to Brazil alongside a wide range of UK funders and arts-based organisations. Organised by one of our grantees, People’s Palace Projects, the exchange focused on improving understanding and practical techniques in achieving social change through the arts. Later in 2010, a delegation of Brazilian arts organisations, funders and policy-makers will visit the UK.

Widening support

We endeavour to support organisations through our Open Grants scheme in ways that are both supportive and challenging, and also enable them to develop and improve their practice and approaches. This is achieved with financial support and also, increasingly, by looking at ways of providing non-monetary assistance. This is an area we hope to develop and grow over the coming years, as we learn more about how organisations develop and sustain work that makes a long-term positive difference to people’s lives.

As public sector cuts begin to take effect, our concern is with those who are most vulnerable, and our commitment is to support work that helps those who may have no-one to turn to for help – even when that work is risky. As a funder, we have difficult decisions to make: cuts to government funding mean that innovative ideas may struggle to attract support and organisations may be less likely to try new approaches that they think might have greater impacts. We hope that in the year ahead we can achieve a fair balance between enabling effective work to continue and supporting organisations that wish to try new things with a view to becoming more effective at helping young people.

This year our Open Grants scheme will develop two themes. The first theme derives from trustees’ concerns that interventions with young people are often unable to build on their short-term success by developing into longer-term support. We therefore want to encourage and support organisations to think innovatively about how they can work more closely with marginalised young people (and perhaps other organisations) to develop more secure and supported ‘progression pathways’ that lead to tangible and sustainable improvements in their lives. We see this as a challenge to many organisations who, whilst expert at delivering services to young people at points in their lives, are less effective at helping young people over the longer term, and less effective at enabling young people to shape the support that works best for them2.

The second theme has emerged out of trustees’ concerns about the consequences of society becoming more fragmented, with fewer opportunities for different social groups to interact, understand and support one another. For marginalised young people in particular, often stereotyped negatively in the mass media, perceptions of them can lead to fear and misunderstanding by other age groups, and their contributions to civil society are easily ignored or undervalued. We would like to fund innovative ways of improving relationships and building understanding between different groups – whether the difference is social, ethnic, religious or generational. We would like to be in a position to share more widely what are learning through our funding about ways of breaking down barriers and encouraging more ‘pro-social’ behaviour amongst, and towards, young people.

Under both themes we require that the work we fund is shaped by young people and that they ought at least to be working in partnership with adults in shaping and designing activities: we want to see adults and organisations adapting and changing their behaviours to help empower young people3. We now expect applicants for funding through our Open Grants scheme to be able to show how young people have helped shape, will deliver, and – if possible – will evaluate the impact of work proposed. We also ensure that across our new Special Initiatives, where appropriate, young people play an active role in their governance and evaluation.

Special Initiatives

Right Here

New models of mental health provision for young people

£3,466,668 in 2009/10

In partnership with the Mental Health Foundation, we have embarked on a five-year action-research programme to explore how young people’s mental health needs can be better addressed. Mental health problems among children and young people have risen substantially in the UK in the past 50 years. Young people experiencing mental ill-health face the challenges of misunderstanding and stigma, as well as the practical difficulties of finding appropriate support.

Right Here is an initiative designed to encourage organisations that work with young people to collaborate with others across sectors to develop new ways for young people to access the type of mental health support they need, when and where they need it. It aims to develop new service models with statutory and voluntary organisations working together to promote mental well-being among young people, prevent mental ill-health among struggling individuals, and intervene earlier and more effectively with those starting to move into illness.

This year four partner projects were awarded funding for up to four years, following a highly competitive process in which over 200 applications were received from across the UK. Grants of up to £800,000 were awarded to:

  • New Choices for Youth Trust, Newham, East London
  • Sheffield YMCA
  • Sussex Central YMCA
  • Youth Action Northern Ireland in Fermanagh

Staff and consultants on Right Here are working closely with the partner projects, assisting them both financially and with consultancy and evaluation support. The group also meets to learn and exchange good practice, and their progress will be shared with a wider community of practice and policy. The Tavistock Institute has been commissioned to carry out a participative evaluation of the initiative, with young people playing a major part. Young people are also equal partners in the governance of the overall initiative and will be involved in steering each pilot partnership.

For further details see www.right-here.org.uk

Young Undocumented Migrants

‘No Right to Dream’: The social and economic lives of young undocumented migrants in Britain

£31,665 in 2009/10

This year we published ‘No Right to Dream’ – a report of qualitative research which explored, in their own words, the social and economic lives of young undocumented migrants living in Britain. The study was commissioned by the Foundation and undertaken by researchers at City University and the University of Oxford Refugee Studies Centre, working with a team of community researchers and a range of voluntary organisations that helped with the research process.

The result is a unique insight into the lives of a group of young people, about whom there is much anecdote but very little robust evidence. They tell stories of journeys that begin with youthful vigour, full of hope and expectation about finding a better life, and often end up being shaped by fear, uncertainty and exploitation. A striking theme across all these life stories is the mental distress experienced by young people who have no-one they can trust or turn to for help.

The title of the report, ‘No Right to Dream’, uses the words of one young person, but reflects the sentiment shared by many more – namely, that they had lost so much associated with a normal youth that even imagining a better future was becoming impossible. This situation would seem to be at odds with our core values as a society, and in particular the emphasis we give to protecting and supporting young people.

This is a complex social issue, and amongst the many things we have learned is that solutions demand that a wide range of organisations work together to find ways of helping these young people. We hope that this report will stimulate wider discussion and debate, and we have already begun to talk to a range of organisations and individuals about follow-up steps.

Reading and Libraries Challenge Fund

Opening access to books and reading

£11,397 in 2009/10

The Reading and Libraries Challenge Fund, launched in 2003, was one of the Foundation’s earliest Special Initiatives. The Fund sought to encourage work by libraries, prisons and other institutions to improve access to books and reading among young people and others experiencing disadvantage, including refugees, asylum seekers and care leavers.

The Fund recognised the potential of public libraries to help improve people’s lives, and challenged them to go about this in more effective and creative ways. Perhaps more ambitious was the aspiration that the work supported by the Fund would lead to lasting change – not only in terms of access to books and reading, but in the culture and practice of public libraries, prisons and care services.

To try to help bring about that change, the Foundation offered extra non-monetary support to grantees, and opportunities to share and exchange best practice.

An independent evaluation of the Fund, ‘Leading Questions’, has been published and is available via the Foundation’s website.

Refugee and Asylum Seeker Fund

Support for the integration of young asylum seekers

£24,564

The Fund for Refugee and Asylum Seeker Young People was set up in 2003 to support UK-wide projects, working directly with young people, to promote their integration into British society. The Fund supported work which:

  • Encouraged the integration of young (11–18 year old) asylum seekers and refugees within host communities
  • Built capacity within refugee community organisations
  • Promoted the development of effective practice, including supporting young people to participate in the planning and operation of projects, and working in partnerships
  • Sought to influence public attitudes towards young refugees and asylum seekers.

Most of the funded projects worked with young asylum seekers (including unaccompanied minors) and, to encourage integration, with young people from the host community. Staff at the Foundation worked closely with grant recipients throughout the lifetime of the Fund, with projects receiving practical as well as financial assistance.

We have published a report from the evaluation of the Fund, ‘Including Youth’, which is available via the Foundation’s website.

Corston Independent Funders’ Coalition

Campaigning to reform the criminal justice system for vulnerable women

£200,000 in 2009/10

Early in 2010 we joined the Corston Independent Funders’ Coalition (CIFC), an alliance of 19 charitable trusts and foundations formed in 2008 that seeks, through implementation of recommendations in Baroness Corston’s 2007 review, to transform how vulnerable women are treated in the criminal justice system.

Following an internal review of the Foundation’s criminal justice work during 2009, we had identified the situation of women and girls in the criminal justice system as a key area of concern. Working collectively with other independent funders is an approach that optimises the way in which we use our resources to bring about real change for some of the most vulnerable young women in society.

As part of our membership in the Coalition we have contributed £200,000 to a £2 million joint fund between a sub-group of CIFC members and the Ministry of Justice. With a focus on supporting the third sector to deliver needs-led, women-specific services in the community, the fund will try to ensure Baroness Corston’s key recommendation of reducing the use of custody for non-violent women offenders through the use of community sentences is realised – an approach that supports vulnerable women to address underlying issues such as mental health problems and domestic violence, maintain contact with families and thereby avoid the removal of children into care, and get back into mainstream society.

The fund is strategic, with an equal emphasis placed on supporting organisations to develop, and on geographical areas where little such provision exists. By directly funding delivery there is a real opportunity for women’s community provision to become more sustainable, embedded in the local context and joined up with statutory services.

Open grants scheme

Grants awarded in 2009/10

Patiko Baker

£113,940 over three years

Patiko Baker supports disadvantaged individuals to develop skills, confidence and self-esteem, enhance community cohesion and promote cultural heritage. It was previously supported through the Foundation’s Refugee and Asylum Seeker Fund to deliver a three-year leadership, mentoring and volunteering programme for unaccompanied young people.

This innovative project focuses on providing support and guidance to young people aged 18–30 from trafficked backgrounds. The aim is to enable this ‘hidden’ population to make positive choices about their future, participate more fully in the community and to become active citizens, confident in voicing their experiences. The project is facilitated through an arts programme that will lead to an exhibition, Unexpected Journeys. By telling the young people’s stories, the exhibition has the potential to be a powerful advocacy tool. In parallel, Patiko Baker will raise awareness of the issues faced by this group of young people through working with and delivering training to local community organisations and faith leaders.

Sharing learning for policy and practice impact: A final component of this grant is for Patiko Baker to connect with other agencies working in this area to develop case studies and contribute to research to influence practice in the third and statutory sectors.

Venture Scotland

£146,682 over three years

Venture Scotland runs a personal development programme for vulnerable young people aged 16–30 from deprived areas of Scotland. It builds the confidence and skills of marginalised young people and offers them a route to fulfilling their potential and making a positive contribution to society. The organisation is not an outdoor education provider. Rather, the outdoor activities are one aspect of how Venture Scotland helps young people discover more about their strengths and how they can work with others.

The Journey, the scheme funded by this grant, will help marginalised young people achieve better outcomes for themselves through a long-term programme that offers them a progression pathway towards further education, training and/or employment.

Shift in approach: The project marks a developmental shift in Venture Scotland’s work, where it is now able to offer support to young people that is more holistic and lasts longer, recognising that the pathway to lasting change has setbacks and takes years rather than weeks.

Ongoing grants

Dance United

£240,000 over three years

The purpose of this grant was to support Dance United’s artistic management team to develop its work into new areas and expand its award-winning Academy programme. An intervention for persistent young offenders and those at serious risk of offending, the Academy is an intensive and demanding 12-week programme based on professional contemporary dance training and performance.

A pilot scheme in Bradford, evaluated by Manchester University, is now paving the way for new Academies elsewhere in the UK, including East London and Wessex, and internationally. What is striking about Dance United’s work is the quality of the teaching and the high aspirations they have for the young people they work with. These core elements depend on the quality of the artistic engagement they offer and the calibre of the dance artists who deliver it. In a sector where, historically, the world of ‘high art’ professional dance and the world of ‘non-professional dance’/‘dance in social inclusion’ have rarely conjoined, Dance United is forging quite unique links.

Sector recognition: A report by New Philanthropy Capital that analysed the most cost-effective youth offending programmes, highlighted the work of Dance United, identifying an £82,000 saving of public-sector funding by stopping even one young person from reoffending.

People’s Palace Projects

£150,000 over four and a half years.

People’s Palace Projects is an arts organisation whose vision is to extend understanding of the transformative powers of art to progress justice through individual, collective and institutional change. Our grant supports Cultural Warriors, a three-year youth leadership project jointly realised by People’s Palace Projects, Grupo Cultural AfroReggae (in Brazil), Contact, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Lawnmowers Theatre Company and The Sage Gateshead. This exciting collaboration seeks to build each partner’s capacity to support young people to be active and innovative in bringing about change in their communities and the lives of other young people.

Collaboration for impact and learning: Through working together, the partners believe they can extend the impact and horizons of the young people involved, and can share learning and inspiration from the work being done across the partnership.

Completed grants

Music In Detention

£351,373 over three years

Music In Detention (MID) was set up in 2005 to support immigration detainees through the humanising power of music. Since then its core business has been running participatory music workshops in Immigration Removal Centres.

Our grant helped give MID a period of stability at an early stage of development, enabling it both to build a solid foundation for its work and to expand its range and volume. MID has established a clear governance framework, recruited new trustees with diverse skills, and produced a longer-term business model to sustain and expand the impact of its work. In terms of delivery, MID has scaled up its workshops with detainees, from 37 to 114 each year, in nine of the 11 centres in the UK, resulting in benefits to around 3,000 people. It has pioneered new ‘community exchange’ projects between detainees and local communities, and independent evaluation points to the positive impacts the work has on detainees, staff and relations between them in detention centres.

Measurable impact: The outcomes of this grant are demonstrated through the range of measures listed above. This focus on impact – in this instance, at the level of the individual, community and organisation – is important for all Open Grants applications.

“The [Music In Detention workshop] is really different from what I have done in the past. It’s good to collaborate with the detainees. It gives me a chance to see them differently and some of them are really talented.”

– Officer at Immigration Removal Centre

Footnotes

  • 1 The publication ‘No Right to Dream’, published this year by the Foundation under our Special Initiative looking at Young Undocumented Migrants, makes a valuable contribution to the knowledge base in this area
  • 2 Among our Open Grants case studies and list of awards in this Yearbook, there are a number of organisations who we think are beginning to think and practice in this way
  • 3 Participation: This focus on participation is now much more explicit in our first-stage application form for Open Grants – and is applicable across all three UK programmes