Impact Initiatives Young People's Centre

David Willets and the three Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPC’s) met with Judith Cousin, CEO and Mike Long, Chair of Impact Initiatives and staff and service users of Impact’s Young People’s Centre, Workability and Stopover

Impact Initiatives was aiming to raise awareness about how changes at local and regional government are increasing demands on the funding for local smaller charities. 

These increasing demands from funding are affecting the ability to meet the needs of clients and many projects now have waiting lists.

Examples of these changes include:

• Statutory funding is contracted nationally therefore excluding local smaller providers
• Short term contracts requiring large amount of administration

Kayleigh Jean Lawson aged 21, the chair of YPC’s Young People’s Forum and YPC regular said during the visit:

“There is a fantastic range and choice of services for young people aged up to 18.  The moment you turn 19 there is an assumption that people are grown up and the choices of services becomes very limited.”

“There are barriers for young people with mental health difficulties to get into in work, these need to be broken down to find employment becomes easier.  The meeting today gave me the confidence that these issues may be worked on”

Mike Long Chair of Trustees

“Impact Initiatives was founded 30 years ago in Brighton to provide community services where they were none unavailable.

I am proud to say that with its 19 projects across Sussex (advocacy, children and young people’s services, housing and support for young women, older people’s services and specialist vocational support) it is still enabling thousands of people across Sussex to lead independent lives”

Impact Initiatives can offer professional support to other charities (Human Resources, Community Accounting and CRB) Please call 01273 821914 for more information

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