MONTROSE YM has been awarded over £7,000 to help expand their services.
The money comes from a new scheme, which aims to use cash recovered from criminals to fund local youth projects.
The grant will cover a general extension of the YM's projects helping to cover the costs of additional opening hours, and staffing.
Project manager, Val Cooper said: "New pots of money are very rare. The only way the voluntary sector can continu
e to provide the service they do is if more and more money is made available."
She said the £7,200 grant would contribute to the annual running costs of the facility which stand at £86,000 to operate the five and a half day programme. The money will also be used for sessional youth workers and to make sure 15 additional hours a week are paid for.
The recent allocation of cash was part of round one of the scheme, with the deadline for round two being set for the end of August.
Val said: "We are very active in trying to lobby more money from the Scottish Government. If people like us didn't operate the way we do the majority of young people wouldn't have a provision. The kids that don't fit into a box aren't catered for specifically.
"The more proactive we are, the more services there are for young people, the more likely they are to keep away from crime."
This part of the Cashback for Communities scheme, which was set up by the Scottish Government, was announced back in February. A total of £3 million is to be handed out to youth projects across the country who support young people involved, or at risk from violence, alcohol, drugs or antisocial behaviour as well as support for initiatives such as youth drop-in services and residential, environmental and outdoor activities.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "The Scottish Government is committed to giving our young people the opportunity to realise their potential and to be all they can be.
"It is therefore fitting that we are taking the money from criminals and using it to support youth projects in every part of the country.
"The devil makes work for idle hands, so we want to ensure that our young people have positive things to do with their lives. We want to show them that there can be so much more to life than drink, drugs and offending."
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