Yorkshire’s Deaf young people supported to find their itentity by Wakefield project receiving National Lottery funding boost

Deaf Ex-Mainstreamers Ltd (DEX) in Wakefield is among a group of charities to receive a share of almost £2 million over the past three months from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

This vital funding, raised by National Lottery players, has been awarded by The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

There are 54 organisations across the Leeds, Pontefract, Castleford and Wakefield areas that have received a share of the vital funding, offering activities that range from weekly luncheon clubs to connect older people in the community, to inclusive cricket sessions for women and girls.

DEX has received almost £210,000 to continue and expand its DEX Deaf Youth Council project. The Deaf Youth Council aims to support young people aged 17-30 with activities and opportunities including guest speaker workshops, residential trips, communication support and a chance to build networks and relationships. It also helps the young people to learn new skills and enjoy being more independent.

The charity was set up 27 years ago to promote the rights of Deaf young people who were leaving, or still attending, mainstream education. Difficulties and challenges they may face include communication, access to employment opportunities, further education and the chance to travel and experience the world away from their families. They are passionate about ensuring deaf young people feel connected to their community, can explore their identity, and reduce any feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Sherryar joined the Youth Council in 2014 when he was 17 and has been a member of staff at DEX since 2021.

He said: “Before I joined DEX I really lacked in confidence and struggled to fit in, but they’ve helped me so much to feel comfortable socialising and travelling. We’ve been on trips to festivals, social events, taken part in lots of workshops - we’ve experienced so much.

“With DEX I have also done a lot of work on deaf identity, deaf culture and who we are as deaf people. Before becoming involved with the Council I’d never really thought about who I was, but it’s helped me to really explore my own individuality.”

Claire Baldwin, Development Manager for DEX, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players we can offer our young people a continued programme of support for three years. Some young people come to us with limited British Sign Language skills, and that can be a huge barrier to them communicating with other deaf young people. So, we’ll be supporting them to become really confident using BSL.

"For the last few years we’ve had no office space to work from – and now for the first time, we have an office space large enough for the whole team to come together, which is making a huge difference to our work already.”

Wakefield isn’t alone in benefiting from National Lottery funding. Today it was announced that almost £90 million* of National Lottery funding awarded to over 2,700 community groups across England.

Joe Dobson, Head of Funding for Yorkshire & Humber at The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players, this vital funding will have a huge impact on people’s lives across West Yorkshire. Now two years on from the start of COVID-19 and what has been an incredibly challenging time for people across the UK, groups like DEX are continuing to step up to help their communities build back stronger.

“We’re proud to support people to come together and build community spirit during a momentous year that includes the UK’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games and commemorating Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”

The National Lottery Community Fund distributes money raised by National Lottery players, who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes across the UK. In the last 12 months we have given out nearly £600 million to 12,500 organisations reaching every local authority and constituency in the UK.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk