Funding will help children and young people to fulfil their potential - particularly those at risk of getting caught up in crime.

'The Council is investing £30,000 of its own funds into the Connect Project'

Councillor Danny Thorpe, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, said: "The Mayor’s Fund will further enhance the support the Council is already giving to a wide range of children and young people's groups across the borough. In particular, the Council is investing £30,000 of its own funds into the Connect Project, alongside Charlton Athletic Community Trust and Peabody to mentor young people in Thamesmead Moorings and Woolwich Common who have been excluded from school and might end up turning to crime.

"It's vital in this age of austerity to make sure all young people have the same chances in life especially those who are not lucky enough to have positive role models and safe places to hang out."

'These projects will help children and young people to fulfil their potential'

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "These projects will help children and young people to fulfil their potential, particularly those at risk of getting caught up in crime. Projects will support a range of education, sport, cultural, mentoring and other activities."

Charlie Macdonald, CACT's Director of Youth & Inclusion, said: "Charlton Athletic Community Trust is delighted to be asked to deliver the Connect programme alongside key partners. This is a major project that will support the aims of our refreshed Street Violence Ruins Lives strategy which will see the Trust continue its commitment to working towards reducing youth violence."

Connect will enhance the existing youth service offer at The Link, run by Peabody, Woolwich Common Youth Hub and Hawksmoor Youth Hub, both run by Young Greenwich, the youth service funded by the Council and delivered by CACT providing enhanced training to youth workers. This will help youth workers deal with the effects of trauma on young people and identify young people at risk of being drawn into youth violence who require more intensive intervention.

The Young Londoners Fund is investing £20m so far, supporting more than 60,000 young people across the capital over the next three years with grants to 72 projects, supporting a range of education, sport, cultural and other activities for children and young people.

Successful projects 

The following projects which have been funded to deliver activities in the Royal Borough of Greenwich:

Central Greenwich Children's Centres - £150,000
With a Roar! will deliver a unique peer to peer life skills training programme to tackle the root causes of problems faced by vulnerable care leavers thus empowering them to go confidently into independent and healthier adult lives. It has been designed by care leavers, for care leavers to reduce the risk of exclusion, homelessness, improve resilience, mental health and signpost services.

Charlton Athletic Community Trust - £150,000
The Connect Project will support young people at risk of inclusion or involvement in criminal activity and those involved in criminal activity, the project will build upon Charlton Athletic Community Trust's experience, infrastructure and trusted relationships to provide a range of mentoring activities and interventions.

Greenwich & Lewisham Young People's Theatre - £137,683
Portals is a programme of arts activities for vulnerable young people and those who have been identified as being at risk of offending or whom already have offended aged 12+ in Greenwich & Lewisham. Portals are arts-based activities using a range of art forms optimising engagement and allowing young people to achieve, succeed and aspire to become young leaders.

The AHOY Centre - £149,296
All Aboard will provide a programme of activities that will help 84 young people in Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark at risk of exclusion/offending make positive life choices. Attending once a week on Saturday for up to two years, they will participate in water-side and dry-side sporting and creative activities; personal development/employability training workshops; one-to-one mentoring support and a fortnightly Peer Support Group.

YMCA Thames Gateway - £117,930
Fuller Futures will employ a full-time youth worker with a therapeutic specialty to lead on delivering 1:1 and group trauma-informed support for young people to enable them to form secure attachments with no barriers of any form of statutory therapeutic provision. They will deliver training to staff and volunteers and lead on outreach work locally in Woolwich and Thamesmead town centres and schools.

Black and Training Enterprise Group - £150,000
Route2Success will reach 600 young people aged 10-18 from ethnic minority backgrounds, to provide positive role models from similar backgrounds, supporting with careers advice, entrepreneurial skills, making positive choices and guidance to overcome obstacles. Working with Schools, Pupil Referral Units, Young Offender Institutions and Prisons providing workshops delivered by our volunteer role models to inspire young people to think practically about the best way to realise their full potential in education and employment and equip them with tools to manage their social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.

SV Academy - £148,000
RISE will target excluded young people and those involved with the criminal justice system with a bespoke programme of interventions to raise aspirations, support skills development and empower youth participation and enterprise. Embedded in and drawing upon local communities a high-profile music and media-based youth campaign will raise aspirations and challenge attitudes to youth violence alongside tailored interventions to high risk groups.

Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network - £149,109
Refugee, asylum seeking and migrant children and young people will be provided legal and practical advice and support to claim asylum/regularise immigration, access accommodation, volunteering and/or employment opportunities.

Football Beyond Borders - £139,766
The Positive Choice, Different Paths project will work with disengaged young people aged 10-16 who are at risk of developing entrenched, challenging behaviour patterns leading to permanent exclusion. By harnessing young people’s passion for football, they are engaged into value-based classroom lessons and supported to make better life choices from feeling part of the FBB 'family'.

Synergy Theatre Project - £150,000
Synergy Young People's Programme will reduce the risk factors that lead to young people falling into crime through a combination of bespoke theatre productions and follow up creative activity to promote awareness and behaviour change in approximately 6000 at risk young people. The project will uniquely utilise ex-offenders as actors and facilitators directly engaging with those hardest to reach, and work closely with cross-sector partners.