Preston North End Community and Education Trust has been awarded a grant from the Youth Endowment Fund to support young people at-risk of being drawn into violent crime through the COVID-19 pandemic.
PNECET are one of four football club community organisations to have been awarded funding from the Youth Endowment Fund, with a total of 130 organisations nationwide receiving grants to support their projects.
Preston North End’s project as part of the funding will focus on the ‘Back on Track’ programme, a 12-week initiative at Deepdale, providing weekly physical activity sessions complemented with interactive educational workshops centred around improving young people’s attitudes and behaviours towards criminal activity, lifestyle and careers.
The sessions will run over the summer holidays and also into the first term of the new academic year to help the targeted young people transition back into education.
Head of Community Tom Drake said: “We are delighted that we have been successful in our application to the Youth Endowment Fund.
“Our new Back on Track programme will help provide some much needed support through both physical activity and educational based workshops for some of the most vulnerable young people in Preston throughout the summer holiday and as they transition back into education.
“The COVID period has been extremely challenging for young people, we are hoping the Back on Track programme provides some much needed ‘normality’ whilst also educating them on key life skills.”
The Youth Endowment Fund is an independent charitable trust set up by the Home Office. It funds, supports and evaluates projects in England and Wales which work to prevent children and young people from being drawn into violent crime.
Jon Yates, Executive Director at Youth Endowment Fund, said: “It has been too easy to forget vulnerable young people during this crisis. The pandemic has removed much of the critical support that many of them rely upon – from teachers to youth workers.
“This funding will help us find the best way to reach and support these young people when they most need it.”
PNECET has been awarded a £54,095 grant to support its 'Back On Track' programme while the club community organisations of Aston Villa FC, Blackpool FC and Burnley FC are among the other organisations to have been awarded grants from the Youth Endowment Fund!