Kensington + Chelsea Foundation

Supporting young people to ‘Recover + Reconnect’

After so much time spent indoors and isolated from their peers during the pandemic, we wanted to help young people have an active, social summer.

We joined forces with Kensington + Chelsea Foundation to make a fund available for their ‘Recover + Reconnect’ summer youth grants programme. Our award of £82,433 was matched by the Kensington + Chelsea Foundation and funded 13 grants to youth organisations for a range of sports, arts and social activities.

  • According to the Prince’s Trust, in January 2021 more than half of young people reported feeling always or often anxious, as the Covid-19 pandemic impacts their future prospects.
  • 13 grants were awarded to youth organisations for a range of summer activities for young people in the borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
  • In 2021 Kensington + Chelsea Foundation’s Recover + Reconnect: Summer Youth Programme reached 2,000 children and young people from all over the borough, helping them to rebuild confidence, resilience and social skills after a year of successive

Developing skills and confidence through new experience

Our Grants Manager Roisin Blake represented Kusuma Trust on the grants application panel. “The projects selected included something for everyone – a playwriting project, training in some unusual sports, and a series of adrenaline-fueled day trips,” says Roisin. “We were glad to see that the successful projects spanned the north and south of the borough so children didn’t have to travel too far to take part.”

“The pandemic has increased the gap in opportunities between rich and poor children. Kids whose families cannot afford home learning resources, whether technology or time and support, have fallen behind with their studies which affects their educational attainment, confidence and motivation. Last Summer we needed to focus on supporting these kids not just with their learning, but also getting them away from screens and reminding them how to play with others, build their social skills and confidence.”
Abdi Aden, Earl’s Court Youth Club Centre Manager and Trustee of Kensington + Chelsea Foundation

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