Voted by Beach Media Publication’s social media followers as one of the “Charities of the Year”, Young Barnet Foundation is a local charity and free membership service which supports voluntary groups, charities and social enterprises who work with children and young people in the borough of Barnet.
Currently, Young Barnet Foundation supports 195 members with advice, resources, training, and networking opportunities. Membership is free to any eligible group or organisation delivering services or creating opportunities for the borough’s 0-25-year-olds.
Established in 2015, Young Barnet Foundation is one of 11 Young People’s Foundations in operation. Each one adapts to meet the needs of its members in a local area with a shared mission and purpose: to bring together local community groups and organisations, provide them with a platform for growth and development, and increase opportunities for children and young people.
Since 2017, Young Barnet Foundation’s Space2Grow Children & Young People’s Fund has awarded £918,070 to local groups and organisations for a variety of projects and initiatives. This includes free BACE Holidays programmes delivered in partnership with Barnet Council which give children and young people who receive free school meals access to enriching activities and nutritious meals during the Easter, summer and winter school holidays.
Young Barnet Foundation’s annual Christmas Gift Campaign has delivered over 5,350 wrapped presents to disadvantaged 0-18-year-olds living in the borough, including refugees and children in care. More recently the organisation worked with partners including Barnet Food Hub, Volunteers on Wheels and Go Dharmic to deliver much-needed long-life food and baby products to Ukrainian refugees in Romania as part of a local community response effort (pictured).
With Volunteering Barnet and Inclusion Barnet, Young Barnet Foundation is a proud partner of Barnet Together, a free capacity-building support service for the borough’s Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector.
The Barnet Together partners worked closely with Barnet Council to give financial support to local groups and organisations providing care and support for vulnerable residents during the COVID outbreak, issuing £118,000 through the Barnet Community Response Fund.
Young Barnet Foundation operates a Community Coworking Hub where members and community groups can hire hot desks, work pods and meeting spaces at low-cost rates. The office and coworking hub are located above the Barnet Food Hub at the old East Barnet library on Brookhill Road.
For more information about Young Barnet Foundation, visit youngbarnetfoundation.org.uk or find them on Facebook and Instagram (@YoungBarnetFoundation) or on Twitter (@Young_Barnet).
