Fund boost to support youth social action across the country Hurricane

April 25, 2025 digitalgithub@gmail.com 0 Comments

It started with a simple question whispered in a town hall in Newcastle:

“What can young people really do to change the world?”

The answer didn’t come in the form of a headline, a viral trend, or even a formal policy. It came in waves. Quiet at first. Then gathering strength. Like a hurricane building in the distance—not destructive, but powerful, intentional, and unrelenting. A youth-led hurricane of hope, ideas, and action.

And now, with a major new funding boost, this storm of social good is ready to sweep across the country.

When Young People Move, Change Happens

Picture 16-year-old Amina from Birmingham. Last winter, she started a street art campaign about mental health awareness. It began with chalk on sidewalks—words like “you matter” and “your mind is important” near schools and parks. Within three weeks, local news picked it up. Her town council offered a wall for a mural. Amina’s project evolved into workshops for younger kids. By spring, she’d created a blueprint for peer-led support groups.

She wasn’t part of an NGO or government initiative. She just wanted to do something.

Now imagine thousands of Aminas.

This isn’t just a heartwarming idea. It’s a movement. And it’s about to get a serious push forward.

The Fund That’s Powering a Generation

In early June, the UK Government—alongside private donors and a network of non-profit organizations—announced a landmark £50 million fund to support youth social action across the country. The fund, affectionately dubbed “Hurricane,” aims to act as a catalyst—not just for individual projects, but for a cultural shift in how we view young people and power.

Why “Hurricane”? Because youth action has that kind of force. It’s unpredictable. It’s disruptive. It sweeps in and demands that things won’t be the same again.

This funding injection will empower young leaders, grassroots organizations, and community mentors. It’s targeted not just at urban centers but also smaller towns and underrepresented rural regions, where access to such resources has historically been minimal.

What Is Social Action, Really?

Social action is one of those terms that can feel… vague. But strip away the jargon and it’s beautifully simple.

It’s young people identifying a problem and doing something about it. Whether it’s:

Organizing a clean-up of a neglected park.
Starting a peer-mentoring program at school.
Launching a social media campaign on consent or climate.
Running food drives for low-income families.

It’s community-centered, proactive, and often deeply personal.

The Hurricane fund aims to celebrate this kind of initiative. Not by prescribing what to do—but by listening to what young people already want to do and making it easier to act.

A New Way of Trusting Youth

One of the fund’s boldest aspects is that it gives power directly to young people.

Small grants—ranging from £500 to £15,000—will be available through youth-led panels. That’s right. Young people will review and approve projects by their peers. It’s about turning the top-down model on its head.

There’s also a built-in mentorship structure. Each grant recipient will be paired with a coach or advisor—someone to help navigate logistics, funding, outreach, and scale.

But make no mistake: the leadership remains with the youth.

“They Told Us We Were Too Young to Care”

17-year-old Luis from Manchester runs a support circle for refugee teens. It started in a church basement, moved online during the pandemic, and is now a registered youth initiative. He once told a journalist:

“They told us we were too young to care. But we didn’t just care. We showed up. Week after week. We were the ones who understood what our friends needed.”

Stories like Luis’s are the reason Hurricane exists.

Because passion without support can burn out. But passion with funding, community, and mentorship? That’s a wildfire of progress.

Not Just London-Centric

One of the criticisms often lobbed at youth programs in the UK is that they center around London.

Hurricane is different.

The fund’s rollout includes regional coordinators in the North East, Midlands, Wales, and Scotland. These coordinators will identify local needs, onboard community partners, and ensure that funding is accessible even in the most remote areas.

From rural Cumbria to post-industrial towns in Wales, the message is clear: no young person with a vision will be left behind.

Building Skills for Life

Let’s talk about what youth social action really builds—not just for the community, but for the young people themselves.

Through social action, they gain:

Leadership experience.
Confidence in public speaking and advocacy.
Financial literacy (budgeting their projects).
Real-world problem-solving.
Empathy and civic engagement.

These are not just “nice-to-haves.” They’re life skills. They’re job skills. They’re nation-building skills.

The Role of Schools, Libraries & Local Councils

Hurricane isn’t operating in a vacuum.

The fund includes partnerships with schools, libraries, local youth centers, and councils. Educators will be trained to spot potential leaders and guide them toward the application process. Libraries will host pitch nights. Community centers will open their spaces for workshops and events.

In short, this isn’t a side project. It’s a community blueprint.

Why Now?

Because we need it now more than ever.

The pandemic disrupted lives, education, and mental health. The cost-of-living crisis has widened existing inequalities. Climate anxiety, political unrest, and online pressures have left many young people feeling overwhelmed, isolated, or numb.

But amid that, we’ve seen flashes of bravery.

Teens organizing PPE delivery during lockdowns.
Students creating apps to tackle food waste.
Young artists using poetry to address racism.

The timing of the Hurricane fund feels less like charity and more like an overdue acknowledgment: that youth is not a problem to be solved, but a power to be unleashed.

Stories Already Changing Lives

Let’s look at some early examples from Hurricane’s pilot phase (launched quietly six months ago):

“Voices of The Valleys” – A storytelling podcast in rural Wales where local teens interview elderly residents to capture their life stories and wisdom. Now used in schools as a part of history and ethics lessons.
“Green Girls Glasgow” – A group of teenage girls planting urban micro-forests in neglected spaces. They’re now working with the city council to replicate the model in six more locations.
“Refill Revolution” – A refill cart for eco-friendly products run by youth volunteers in Cornwall. Profits fund hygiene kits for women in shelters.

These are not hypothetical. They’re real. And they’re multiplying.

Accountability and Transparency

Of course, funding means responsibility. The Hurricane fund has been structured with transparency in mind:

Every project has a three-month and six-month check-in.
Grantees are encouraged to document their progress—whether via social media, blogs, videos, or community reports.
An annual public showcase will feature the top 50 projects, with opportunities for further scale.

But again, this is not about surveillance. It’s about celebration.