somewhereto_ campaign gets £7 million injection

A project offering free and underused space to young people for their creative, sporting and cultural passions has been given a £7 million injection from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) to support the expansion of somewhereto_ over the next four years.

With thousands of success stories and hundreds of spaces that would have never been accessed, the project has to date unlocked 335,500 square feet of empty or underused space across the UK, which is the equivalent of £2 million in rent value.

Originally tasked with inspiring a generation to connect with the Olympics, somewhereto_ was funded by Legacy Trust UK, an independent charity set up to create a lasting cultural and sporting legacy from London 2012 in communities across the UK.

The funding will go towards expanding the reach of somewhereto_, opening up more spaces nationwide, aiming to engage 180,000 young people across the funding lifecycle and introducing a path to certification to recognise the valuable skills acquired through participation.

The funding will also allow somewhereto_ to seek out and engage NEETs (not in education, employment or training) and offer them the support required to convert their experience of somewhereto_ to a pathway to employment, training or further education. somewhereto_ will also recognise young enterprising individuals embracing the life changing opportunity that access to space gives them in realising their ambitions. We will support these budding entrepreneurs with an enterprising mentor who will provide consultative support and direct them to access specialist enterprise training and advice, to allowing them to continue their journey in realising their ambitions. The funding will also go towards recruiting regional coordinators in all areas across the UK to ensure the efficient delivery of the project on a national level.

The news will be officially announced on 6th December at an event at the Embassy of Brazil to celebrate the recent summer campaign ‘somewhereto_ show off’. The campaign saw one lucky young act go to Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, home of the next Olympic Games, to film their very own promotional trailer, tRio (www.youtube.com/somewheretochannel), with BAFTA award winner Adam Deacon which will be screened at the event.

The event will also announce a forthcoming partnership with YouTube through the somewhereto_ YouTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/somewheretochannel. YouTube will support somewhereto_ in talking to young people across the UK while also driving a stronger link with the young people and spaces of Brazil.

somewhereto_ is delivered by youth engagement agency Livity.

Film-News.co.uk managed to get an exclusive interview with Adam Deacon at the premiere of his somewhereto_ short film. Check out the full uncut interview below.