Global Fund for Children supports four community-based organizations in Bradford, England that are providing opportunities for boys and young men to engage in meaningful social action in their communities while creating spaces for them to explore the role of masculinities in their lives.
In partnership with the #iwill Fund, GFC launched this initiative to invest in youth social action for boys. Creating opportunities for boys and young men to get involved in meaningful social action benefits individual children and young people as well as the wider community by building the habit of engaging with causes; challenging harmful gender stereotypes; and supporting wider gender equity work.
This initiative aims to:
- Provide high-quality social action opportunities for boys aged 10–14, such as campaigning, fundraising, and volunteering.
- Foster learning about effective practices for creating engaging and sustainable social action for boys.
- Contribute to positive impacts for children and youth in partnership with the local community of Bradford.
- Strengthen connections between local partner organizations, increasing their capacity to influence long-term systemic change.
The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to a £66 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities. Global Fund for Children is acting as a match funder and awarding grants on behalf of the #iwill Fund.
Project Partners:
BEAP COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP
Bradford, England
BEAP Community Partnership is a community-based group in Manningham, Bradford with a traditional focus on serving the local Bangladeshi community. The organization engages young people in social action through sports with projects such as developing and training young people as volunteer sports activators; working with its young football fan group, Bangla Bantams, to set up community littering projects at Bradford City Football Club; and developing a youth café in its new Sports Hub.
TASIF KHAN COMMUNITY BOXING ACADEMY
Bradford, England
Tasif Khan Community Boxing Academy (TKBA) is a nascent and growing community-based organization that has strong engagement with boys and young men in its community. Using a mix of boxing, mentoring, and personal development, TKBA empowers boys and young men from highly deprived urban communities, supporting them to develop positive masculine identities.
WEST BOWLING YOUTH INITIATIVE
Bradford, England
West Bowling Youth Initiative has supported young people engaging in their communities for over 30 years by helping youth volunteer; building youth leadership opportunities and programs; and setting up new youth-run initiatives. The organization engages with hard-to-reach young people, including those excluded from or struggling at school; ex-offenders and youth in the criminal justice system; and others facing a difficult transition to adulthood.
WORTH VALLEY YOUNG FARMERS CLUB
Bradford, England
Worth Valley Young Farmers Club (WVYFC) is a voluntary, youth-led organization based in the rural Worth Valley region in Bradford that empowers young people who are rurally isolated to come together and develop their own social action campaigns and land art. The organization also engages young people, including boys and young men, in youth social action opportunities that matter to them including fundraising for local causes, creating social enterprise opportunities, and championing campaigns for local produce.
The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to a £66 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities.
The #iwill Fund brings together a group of organizations who all contribute funding to embed meaningful social action into the lives of young people. The #iwill Fund supports the aims of the #iwill movement – to make involvement in social action a part of life for young people, by recognizing the benefit for both young people and their communities.
Header photo: Children from the Tasif Khan Community Boxing Academy. © TKBA