OnSide celebrates £400,000 award raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery

We’re excited to share that we have received an award of £400,000 raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery,  awarded through Postcode Children Trust. This funding allows us to continue to grow and to make a tangible difference in the lives of young people nationally, like Kiara, an 18-year-old member of HideOut, East Manchester Youth Zone.

“Before joining the Youth Zone I used to just sit in my room on my phone all the time, which wasn’t good for my confidence. I stayed in the house and didn’t really interact with people. I felt overwhelmed and shy when I first joined. I became more comfortable and confident after one of the staff members, Jo, came over and got me involved in the different activities.

Coming to the Youth Zone has helped me with my self-esteem. It feels like a second home, I know that the staff are here to support me and give me great advice. I struggled a lot with my mental health at first because I just felt anxious trying to make new friends and trying different activities as well as communicating how I felt when I got upset.

I ended up doing wellbeing which helped me try new activities while working on my communication to help express how I was feeling and set boundaries with people, as I did struggle to say no to people. Now I can communicate this and I have made some new friends because of wellbeing.

I have also found that doing sports, especially taking part in a Girl Power project, has massively built my confidence. It has showed me not to give up and to be more positive, even if things don’t go well. It’s helped me to try new sports that I wouldn’t have tried before, and I have really got into playing football as a goalkeeper. The support from the sport staff has been amazing as they have helped me to try these new things and pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Attending the Youth Zone has helped me to look to the future in terms of my aspirations and helped me to get back into sport and try different things. This is because I have had great support from the staff which has made a positive impact on my life. It also helped with choosing my potential career in sport because I got to speak to an actual player and ask them questions.”

Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said:

“Young people need support and guidance more than ever and I am delighted that players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised funds that will allow Onside, through their Youth Zones, to reach even more youngsters across the country.”

Our CEO, Jamie Masraff, said:

“We’re proud to be recipient of funding raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, and so grateful to be awarded £400,000. We’re embarking on a period of considerable growth as a charity, with five new Youth Zones opening next year, becoming a truly national charity. This investment in OnSide will build our team’s capacity and will mean we can be there for thousands more young people at a time where they need support more than ever.”