Young Barnet Foundation
Young Barnet Foundation is a membership organisation for hundreds of locally based children and young people’s charities/community groups delivering to young people across the London Borough of Barnet. They invest in, connect and grow their members in a variety of ways to enhance opportunities, activities and services for the 99,000 young people across Barnet. They are here to compliment the other infrastructure support across the borough and work closely under a ‘Barnet Together’ collaboration with Inclusion Barnet and Volunteering Barnet to pool expertise and resources to support members who serve their communities.
Coronavirus saw great work across the borough by many community groups as they set out to support and feed the most vulnerable during the crisis. Young Barnet Foundation as Barnet Together have and will continue to work to help coordinate and support these groups over the coming months.
Their two key funders are part of London Funders network and they welcomed the swift confirmation that funders would be supportive and flexible with their funding. For this YBF are extremely thankful. Short term funding is secured to support the work they do, but the longer-term future looks more insecure. YBF have had to curtail fundraising events and there is uncertainty about future funding availability. They already see members, many of which, like YBF themselves, are very small and starting to struggle. The services to support and scaffold their membership will be needed now more than ever as organisations see an increase in demand for their services whilst finding funding even harder to come by. YBF do also see this as an opportunity to explore different ways of working, how technology can best be used both in delivery and back office, for organisations to help make tight finances go further as working practices are forced to be adapted.
The small community based charities are deep rooted and highly knowledgeable in their communities, many having built up trusted relationships over many years and will need to offer support as the full effect of the COVID-19 shut down on the economy, physical and mental health are clearer. YBF are calling on everyone at this time to be a generous leader. Supporting charities doesn’t always have to always be financial donations. Individuals and businesses can offer time, expertise and space to locally based charities. They are #NeverMoreNeeded.