When Ykids became a registered charity in 2004, the Steve Morgan Foundation was one of the first funders to believe and invest in it. In fact, we helped support its first ever employee! We have continued our support over the years, including providing funding to save a highly successful and impactful project the charity was leading.
We are delighted that Ykids is now one of our Associate Charities, and to be able to provide it with a firm foundation of funding from which to build.
About Ykids
First established as a voluntary group in 1988, Ykids works to bring hope to at risk and vulnerable young people in Bootle, which ranks amongst the 1-2% most deprived areas in the UK. Their vision is to raise ‘World Changers’ – young people who are equipped to make a difference in their own lives and in the world around them, in an environment where they feel safe and loved, and lead happy, productive and ambitious lives.
Cutting giants down to size!
Ykids offers a range of invaluable services, events and activities to the community in Bootle, from Kingsley&Co, its steampunk Victorian explorer themed children’s bookshop and literacy project, to Giant Slayers, the charity’s own CBT programme, which helps children gain practical skills to ‘cut their giants (worries) down to size’.
Other services and projects run by Ykids include:
- Focus groups on wellbeing, mentoring, citizenship, belonging, skills development, sport, and the arts
- Family support, such as peer mentoring, training, one-to-one support, a community pantry, parents book club, and a wellbeing drop in
- Young leadership training through apprenticeships, placements, internships, and work experience
- Community projects like litter picks, mural painting, social action projects and large-scale events
- Education in 35 local schools, through offering assemblies, mentoring, self-esteem and curricular enhancing projects
- Faith – Ykids has a Christian ethos and offers training and support to churches in effective outreach to their communities
With funding from the Steve Morgan Foundation, Ykids has exciting plans for the future. This includes opening a larger Kingsley&Co bookshop in a prime location in Bootle town centre, which, in addition to addressing poor literacy and lack of opportunity, will also help Ykids to generate an income to support its long term sustainability.
