VIY has enabled 300+ projects across the UK since its launch in 2011. Project sites comprise buildings and facilities that young people use and benefit from, including youth clubs, community centres, schools and colleges, sports clubs, music and arts venues, and supported housing – and all projects involve young volunteers and their mentors undertaking refurbishment and improvement works that the venues would otherwise struggle to make happen.
VIY projects can vary in duration from just a couple of days to 3-4 months, depending on the scope and scale of work required. Some project sites, called Hub Projects (such as Shard End Youth Centre in Birmingham and Magic Youth Club in Blackpool), also provide opportunities for hosting multiple cohorts of young people in ongoing construction skills workshop activity over an extended period (i.e. six months and beyond).
Below are case studies on a selection of typical VIY projects.
“The project has directly helped secure the centre’s future, as the level of funding we receive from our local council is largely dependent on increasing the number of young people using and benefiting from our facilities and the activities we run – and crucially, almost all of the young people who have participated in VIY at Shard End (91 out of 97 participants) have not previously been members or involved at the centre.”
