If you’re a young person with a great idea Porirua City may have the funding you need to help make it happen.

Designing cultural clothing, helping native fish flourish, planting trees, photographing Porirua landmarks for charity calendars, learning cooking skills, upgrading a mountain bike track and creating mosaic art are some of the projects that received funding last year – and your project could be next.

Young people, aged up to 24, can apply for a grant from Porirua City Council’s Making it Happen Fund, which has just reopened and is ready for applications.

You can apply individually or as a group of young people for grants of up to $500. Community organisations can also apply for up to $3000.

Porirua Mayor Mike Tana says one of the best things about the grants is that young people can make applications themselves, and the process is really easy.

“If you’ve got something you want to make happen for you, or your community, then check out our website and give it a go – the application form has all the details, and it’s a nice, simple process,” he says.

“This is all about empowering our tamariki – we even have children and young people as part of the decision-making panel after we get applications. So there’s input from young people throughout.”

But Making it Happen isn’t all about the money, Mayor Tana says.

“It’s about supporting young people’s ideas and helping them build confidence and learn new skills in leadership, decision making and problem solving.”

The grants are available as part of the city’s Young People Fund, launched earlier this year.

Check our website for more info, application forms and criteria, poriruacity.govt.nz/makingithappen

Ngā mihi,

ends

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