A Newcastle based charity have been given a grant by the Community Foundation Tyne and Wear to help them get young people involved in the creative arts.
St Anthony's Youth Education Service works with over 200 young people in both Walker and Byker, and this money has allowed them to introduce teens to filmmaking, photography and radio broadcasting.
The grant that they have received covered the cost of materials, as well as the salary of a local professional artist who was brought in to work with the young people.
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The project was split into four different theme areas and took place over a period of 39 days, with two sessions of two hours per week.
It was aptly named 'Project 39', with 211 young people taking part from all across the Newcastle area, but mostly from Walker and Byker.
Elaine Holdsworth, the Senior Philanthropy Advisor at the Community Foundation, has spoken of her delight at being able to fund such a worthwhile project.
"We were delighted to bring several of our funds together to support Project 39. It was a well thought out project that succeeded in engaging and inspiring young people to get involved in creative activities and develop their skills.
"The project gave the young people the opportunity to develop their artistic skills within a safe environment that promoted creative thinking and helped to build a bridge between diverse cultures and experiences," she said.
Stacey Davidson, a Project Worker at St Anthony's Youth Education Service said she wanted to express her thanks for the money that enabled the project.
"The impact the grant has had on us has been phenomenal for the children and young people who accessed the project. The children and young people have been able to learn and grow through using a range of different artistic skills, that they wouldn't have the opportunity to do elsewhere.
"They were fully engaged within each session as they had picked the themes they were interested in. Many of them come from disadvantaged surroundings and through providing them with these enriching activities, it has enabled them to look into the future.
"We would like to say a massive thank you to the four funds who supported our application and believed in our young people. Without the help and support of the Community Foundation, the young people wouldn't have had the opportunity to engage with Project 39 and learn so many life skills whilst doing creative arts and having fun."
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