We’ve Secured National Lottery Funding for RISE
We are thrilled to share that Together St Paul’s has secured funding from the National Lottery Community Fund for our new four-year programme: RISE!
RISE – Resilience, Inclusion, Support, Empowerment – has been co-designed with more than 80 local young people and responds to what they told us they need most: safe spaces, trusted relationships, meaningful opportunities and a genuine voice in shaping their community.
“Young people in Balsall Heath want more than services – they want power, opportunity, and a real say in their future. This investment from The National Lottery Community Fund allows us to build a programme designed with young people, not just for them. RISE will create a pipeline of confident, skilled young leaders who will influence their community, challenge inequality, and help shape Birmingham’s next generation of changemakers.”
– Manjit Dehal, Our CEO
What RISE will deliver
Over the next four years, young people aged 11 to 18 will have access to:
🌞 Two weekly Youth Hub sessions
🌞 A dedicated Girls’ Group
🌞 Detached youth work across local neighbourhoods
🌞 Outdoor learning at St Paul’s Urban Farm
🌞 1:1 and group mentoring
🌞 Quarterly leadership training
🌞 Youth-led community campaigns and events
🌞 Opportunities to co-deliver sessions and influence organisation-wide decisions
The programme also includes a progressive leadership pathway, leading to roles such as peer mentors, youth fundraisers, youth co-trainers, and, by its third year, a youth trustee on our Board.
Why this matters
This investment enables St Paul’s to build a sustainable, long-term youth offer that will:
🌞 Amplify young people’s voices
🌞 Build a pipeline of future local leaders
🌞 Create youth hubs that mirror the Government’s long-term vision
🌞 Support young people to shape decisions, challenge inequality, and influence the systems around them
Young people told us they want real power to change things. RISE is our commitment to making that a reality.
A shared achievement
This programme would not be possible without the young people who shaped every element of RISE, our dedicated community manager and sessional youth work team, our partners, and the unwavering support of the National Lottery Community Fund and its players. THANK YOU all so much!
We are excited to begin this next chapter – working alongside young people to grow confidence, leadership and a strong sense of belonging in Balsall Heath. Young people are ready for change. RISE will help them lead it.