200203 Community Fund helps young people tackle bullying, harassment, racism and violence

The Community Fund commissioned the consultation from the British Youth Council to explore young people's opinions on the issues that affect their daily lives. But will current research provide better solutions to address these issues? This is a question the Community Fund will address at its Young People and Social Inclusion conference, which is being held at the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham today.

The conference brings together voluntary organisations, young people, parents and researchers to discuss whether radical new approaches are needed to solve the severe problems that these young people face. Among those speaking at the conference are the British Youth Council, The Samantha Dickson Research Trust, Brook Advisory Centres and the Bridge Project.

Chair of the Community Fund, Diana Brittan, said: "Young people are living in an increasingly uncertain world and the problems they face are complex. This conference is a unique opportunity for young people to sit down and tell researchers what worries them most and what they think should be done. Tackling these problems is important for a fairer society in the future."

Clare Fowler, Projects Officer at the British Youth Council said, "The consultation exercise gave us a real opportunity to get a snap shot of the views of young people about the issues that affect them, their research experiences and how they would like to be involved in research.

"We found that regardless of background, the key issues that young people thought should be addressed are bullying, harassment and peer pressure. Interestingly, many of the young people felt that racism, sexuality, alcohol, substance abuse and drugs were all issues that were tied into bullying and peer pressure.

"We hope that this consultation exercise makes the case for the full involvement of young people in the design and delivery of research and promotes the benefits of partnerships between the voluntary sector and the research community".

Diana Brittan continued, "Young people are one of the Community Fund's key funding groups and recently we have supported a variety of research projects, including a study by the Samantha Dickson Research Trust to find ways of diagnosing brain tumours quicker in young people. Among social research projects is one being carried out by the Children's Society that aims to learn from the experiences of young black people in the criminal justice system in England and Wales."

Angela Dickson, of the Samantha Dickson Research Trust said, "We are delighted in being asked to take part in this conference and to talk about the way the charity is fully involved with children and families and the effect being diagnosed with a brain tumour has. We are indebted to the Community Fund for their sponsorship of our two-year project at Nottingham University 'Tackling Delays in Diagnosis of brain tumours in children'.

"We were devastated when we lost our daughter Samantha just six days before her 17th birthday after a two and a half year battle against brain cancer. It took more than nine months to diagnose that she had a tumour, and we often receive calls from families who are faced with the same problem today.

"The purpose of our research is to establish National guidelines for doctors, postgraduates and undergraduate training, and this grant will enable us to carry out this important work. If earlier diagnosis is achieved it will improve survivability rates in children with brain cancer and reduce problems associated with memory, concentration and thinking processes associated with late diagnosis."

Diana Brittan added, "Traditional approaches to research often exclude the voluntary sector and its beneficiaries. The unique set up of our Research Grants Programme and its funding strategies help the voluntary sector to access and to use research results and to work in partnership with the research community.

"In the past two years the Community Fund has established itself as imaginative and pioneering funder of social and medical 'user led' research in Britain. By doing so we contribute to strategies that tackle poverty and disadvantage."

Much of the day's debate will take place in small workgroups where those taking part will have the chance to identify research priorities and to discuss issues around building partnerships between the voluntary sector and the research community.

Notes for editors

1. The Community Fund gives out money raised by the National Lottery to charities and to voluntary and community groups. Out of every £1 spent on the National Lottery the Community Fund gets 4.7 pence.

2. The legal name of the Community Fund remains the National Lottery Charities Board. The National Lottery Charities Board was set up in 1994 and changed its operating name to Community Fund - Lottery money making a difference in April 2001.

3. The Community Fund's Research Grants Programme funds research activities in the areas of health and social well-being. The programme is continuous, focuses on social inclusion and has an annual budget of around £8m.

4. The British Youth Council is an umbrella body for youth organisations in the UK and seeks to promote the active citizenship of young people. Their report 'Disadvantage and Research amongst Young People' was prepared for the Community Fund for today's conference. Copies of the report are available at the conference or from the Research Grants office by calling 020 7747 5360.

	20 February 2003 Community Fund helps young people tackle bullying, harassment, racism and violence
	Bullying, harassment, racism and violence are among the biggest worries for young people today. Nearly three-quarters of people aged 11-18 say that these are the worst problems they face, according to a recent consultation. The Community Fund commissioned the consultation from the British Youth Council to explore young people's opinions on the issues that affect their daily lives. But will current research provide better solutions to address these issues? This is a question the Community Fund will address at its Young People and Social Inclusion conference, which is being held at the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham today. The conference brings together voluntary organisations, young people, parents and researchers to discuss whether radical new approaches are needed to solve the severe problems that these young people face. Among those speaking at the conference are the British Youth Council, The Samantha Dickson Research Trust, Brook Advisory Centres and the Bridge Project. Chair of the Community Fund, Diana Brittan, said: "Young people are living in an increasingly uncertain world and the problems they face are complex. This conference is a unique opportunity for young people to sit down and tell researchers what worries them most and what they think should be done. Tackling these problems is important for a fairer society in the future." Clare Fowler, Projects Officer at the British Youth Council said, "The consultation exercise gave us a real opportunity to get a snap shot of the views of young people about the issues that affect them, their research experiences and how they would like to be involved in research. "We found that regardless of background, the key issues that young people thought should be addressed are bullying, harassment and peer pressure. Interestingly, many of the young people felt that racism, sexuality, alcohol, substance abuse and drugs were all issues that were tied into bullying and peer pressure. "We hope that this consultation exercise makes the case for the full involvement of young people in the design and delivery of research and promotes the benefits of partnerships between the voluntary sector and the research community". Diana Brittan continued, "Young people are one of the Community Fund's key funding groups and recently we have supported a variety of research projects, including a study by the Samantha Dickson Research Trust to find ways of diagnosing brain tumours quicker in young people. Among social research projects is one being carried out by the Children's Society that aims to learn from the experiences of young black people in the criminal justice system in England and Wales." Angela Dickson, of the Samantha Dickson Research Trust said, "We are delighted in being asked to take part in this conference and to talk about the way the charity is fully involved with children and families and the effect being diagnosed with a brain tumour has. We are indebted to the Community Fund for their sponsorship of our two-year project at Nottingham University 'Tackling Delays in Diagnosis of brain tumours in children'. "We were devastated when we lost our daughter Samantha just six days before her 17th birthday after a two and a half year battle against brain cancer. It took more than nine months to diagnose that she had a tumour, and we often receive calls from families who are faced with the same problem today. "The purpose of our research is to establish National guidelines for doctors, postgraduates and undergraduate training, and this grant will enable us to carry out this important work. If earlier diagnosis is achieved it will improve survivability rates in children with brain cancer and reduce problems associated with memory, concentration and thinking processes associated with late diagnosis." Diana Brittan added, "Traditional approaches to research often exclude the voluntary sector and its beneficiaries. The unique set up of our Research Grants Programme and its funding strategies help the voluntary sector to access and to use research results and to work in partnership with the research community. "In the past two years the Community Fund has established itself as imaginative and pioneering funder of social and medical 'user led' research in Britain. By doing so we contribute to strategies that tackle poverty and disadvantage." Much of the day's debate will take place in small workgroups where those taking part will have the chance to identify research priorities and to discuss issues around building partnerships between the voluntary sector and the research community. Notes for editors 1. The Community Fund gives out money raised by the National Lottery to charities and to voluntary and community groups. Out of every £1 spent on the National Lottery the Community Fund gets 4.7 pence. 2. The legal name of the Community Fund remains the National Lottery Charities Board. The National Lottery Charities Board was set up in 1994 and changed its operating name to Community Fund - Lottery money making a difference in April 2001. 3. The Community Fund's Research Grants Programme funds research activities in the areas of health and social well-being. The programme is continuous, focuses on social inclusion and has an annual budget of around £8m. 4. The British Youth Council is an umbrella body for youth organisations in the UK and seeks to promote the active citizenship of young people. Their report 'Disadvantage and Research amongst Young People' was prepared for the Community Fund for today's conference. Copies of the report are available at the conference or from the Research Grants office by calling 020 7747 5360.		Media enquiries Community Fund: Jane Rogers on 020 7747 5352 or Boni Sones on 07703 716961