DfES Refuses Woodcraft Folk Grant

Published on Friday February 25 2005

In the Year of the Volunteer, the Department for Education and Skills has rejected a grant application from the Woodcraft Folk, threatening cutbacks in national education programmes for young people and redundancies among the tiny group of staff who support a huge network of volunteers.

In a terse and uninformative letter, the department told the national educational charity that it “does not represent good value for money.”

“How can we not be good value for money?” asked Jess Cawley, chair of the Woodcraft Folk general council. “We have five paid staff – the other 3,000 youth leaders in our organisation give their time, energy and enthusiasm entirely free of charge.”

“I’ve been in the Folk since I was five and it’s given me opportunities to meet people from around the world, learn more about global issues – and have fun at the same time,” said 17-year-old Katherine Hunter, from South London.

“I want other people to have the same opportunities, so the government must give us the grant.

The Woodcraft Folk, which is celebrating its 80^th anniversary this year, has received grant money from central government every year since the 1960s. Since 1983, the money for work in England has come from the National Voluntary Youth Organisations Grant Scheme. The grant, which has been some £52,000 annually, represents around 20 percent of total income to Woodcraft Folk head office.

The rejected grant application covered the years 2005-2008, and leaves the Woodcraft Folk having to make tough choices about how to move forward with its nationally recognised work with young people – work that goes well beyond the 9,000 children and young people in the Woodcraft Folk across the country. Woodcraft Folk educational materials are widely used by teachers and youth leaders, and its “Playout” project targets hard-to-reach young people in deprived areas with play activities open to the whole community. The organisation also operates a string of campsites and residential facilities across the country that are used by school and community groups.

Ironically, while the Woodcraft Folk isn’t “good value for money” in England, it is still receiving an annual grant of £11,500 from the Scottish Parliament, and the sum provided by the Welsh Assembly has just been raised to £25,000.

The Woodcraft Folk is mounting a campaign to persuade the DfES to change its mind, and is also seeking alternative sources of funding, including an appeal to its own members. However, it is unlikely that this could fill the gap. Already the loss of the grant has meant that the organisation has had to drop its annual grants to Woodcraft Folk groups across the country for training and development work.

For more information contact:

Jess Cawley, Chair, Woodcraft Folk General Council – 0114 296 7788

Andy Piercy, Woodcraft Folk General Secretary – 020 8672 6031,07802 445 688

Naomi Koppel – 07910 141791

naomikoppel@yahoo.com

Notes for editors:

The Woodcraft Folk is a national educational charity, established in 1925, for boys and girls. Its aim is to create a world built on equality, friendship, peace and co-operation.

Membership of the Woodcraft Folk is open to everyone. The children belong to one of five age groups. These are Woodchips (ages 0-5), Elfins (6 to 9). Pioneers (10 to 12). Venturers (13 to 15) and District Fellows (16 to 20). There are about 9,000 young people and 3,000 adults throughout the UK in around 450 local groups.

Groups meet weekly for a varied programme including games, drama, craftwork, singing and dancing as well as following an educational programme. Hiking, hostelling, and camping are also undertaken at weekends and during holidays. There is a strong emphasis on co-operation and empowering young people.

Young people are involved at all levels of decision-making within the organisation, from setting their own programme at group nights to attending the annual conference as delegates.

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