The Mayor of London Boris Johnson is calling on small charities across the capital to apply for new funding as part of his drive to boost volunteering.
Team London, the Mayor’s citywide volunteering initiative, today launched its small grants 2014 programme to coincide with Volunteering Week (1st – 7th June). At least 10 charities will benefit from the grants, which are worth up to £10,000 each. This year, applications are open to those that help place young people and those from hard-to-reach groups in volunteering positions, as well as charities that provide local volunteering opportunities for the wider community.
Team London wants to build on the success of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and get as many Londoners as possible involved in volunteering across the capital. Whether it be stewarding a major event, planting trees, or assisting in a local care home, volunteering enables people to gain experience that enhances their career prospects and improves their social lives and wellbeing. According to research, half of volunteers say it helped them secure a job; 46 per cent said they made new friends through volunteering and a quarter of people aged between 35 and 44 said volunteering improves their health[1].
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “London's army of amazing volunteers provide tremendous benefits to our city, giving people great satisfaction in helping others. But the advantages don’t end there as we know that volunteering can also open doors to people that can set them on the ladder for career success. I urge charities to bid for this cash and help us provide even more volunteering opportunities especially for young Londoners."
This is the third round of Team London’s small grants scheme. The charities awarded funding in 2013 have so far enabled over 1,300 volunteers to provide over 14,000 hours of support across the capital.
Charities can apply for a Team London small grant 2014 from Wednesday 4th June by visiting the Team London website: http://volunteerteam.london.gov.uk/
Notes to editors
Small grants 2013:
The organisations which received the grants last year are as follows -
- Action Tutoring (GCSE tutoring to disadvantaged young people) – pan London
- The Conservation Volunteers (Green Gyms) – Camden
- Envision (Community Apprenticeships) – Hackney, Camden
- The Hackney Pirates (Education support for younger people) - Hackney
- Pro-Active East London (New web forum for sports volunteers) - Barking and Dagenham, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Greenwich
- Selfless (Recruiting students into skills based volunteering opportunities) – pan London
- Sustain (Harvest mob - young people recruited to harvest capital growth sites) – pan London
- TimeBank (City workers providing education support for young Londoners) - Tower Hamlets, Islington, City of London
- Trees for Cities (Edible playgrounds - growing spaces integrated into school life) – Islington, Camden
- Wheels for Wellbeing (Cycle training and facilities for disabled people) – Croydon
Team London: Team London is the Mayor of London's ambitious programme to mobilise an army of volunteers across the capital. The aim is to improve life in London through programmes that will reduce crime, increase opportunities for youth and improve quality of life by cleaning and greening London and building stronger neighbourhoods. http://volunteerteam.london.gov.uk.
[1] TimeBank http://timebank.org.uk/key-facts