Our response to Kent County Council’s cuts to commissioned youth services

Posted: 13th December 2023

We’ve received the news that Kent County Council will be going ahead with cutting commissioned youth services as outlined in the consultation they published this summer.

So many of you sent heartfelt responses in support of Pie’s work, and the importance of open-access youth work generally – thank you. We are so grateful for the messages of love and encouragement we received and continue to receive from our community – it gives us the motivation and courage to carry on, despite the difficulties.

As we come to the end of our current youth service contracts – the end of March 2024 – we will be reflecting on our programmes, strategy and plans for the future; making sure that we do our best to continue providing a level of service and pastoral care that young people deserve. There will be some necessary changes to what we deliver and where from April 2024, and we’ll make sure you are kept informed as we go along.

While the final result is disappointing, we are nonetheless feeling hopeful and excited about what the future holds for Pie; our music and creative arts programmes such as the Emerging Artists programme and Open Arms are going from strength to strength, and we will be taking the energy and momentum from our campaigning with us into collaborations with new funders, partners and supporters.

We believe in a world where every young person has a good quality of life with equal access to creative opportunities and a community of support, and we are committed to advocating for this until this is the reality for all young people in our community. With that in mind – we need your help!

Join our fundraising supergroup!

We are looking for up to four volunteers to form a fundraising supergroup that will help us boost our fundraising capacity over the coming months.

Your support will help us diversify our income streams and keep the charity in the strong financial health we have achieved over the last few years. If you believe in our work for young people and think you can help by donating your time and skills, we want to hear from you.

A young man wearing a blue hoodie standing next to a bike with a tool in his hands and making the thumbs up sign

For the next six months, we are focusing specifically on the following areas of income generation to keep Pie buoyant during this period of significant financial transition:

Corporate fundraising and tapping into corporate social responsibility programmes.

Relationship management with philanthropists and high-net-worth individuals in the arts/charity sectors.
Members/individual givers/patron schemes and campaign coordination.

What’s the commitment?

From February to July 2024 we are asking for:
– 6 x 2-hour roundtable meetings for the fundraising supergroup (2 meetings a month)
– 2 x monthly phone / video calls with the CEO & senior management team for coaching / strategy input
– Responding in a timely manner (i.e. within a week) to emails from the CEO for these 6 months.

Why give us your time and skills for free?

We know this is a big ask – people are very busy and belts couldn’t be tighter. But we believe that with an injection of short-term coaching and tangible support into Pie’s senior management team in the run-up to a period of substantial change for the organisation, we will be further shored up to sustain our vital services whatever comes our way.

In spring 2024 we will launch a fuller recruitment drive to expand our Board of Trustees, and this short-term volunteer role is a brilliant opportunity for someone thinking about supporting our charity but not able to commit to the longer-term responsibilities of being a full Trustee.

This in-kind support will boost the current fundraising we have underway and strengthen our future bids and fundraising portfolio; actively demonstrating the belief that our community has in what we do – it is invaluable.

What do you get in return?

You would become the first of Pie’s publicly announced Patrons – incredible community champions whom we can celebrate on our website, social media and through our networks.
A VIP guest list spot on future Pie events, such as performances by our young musicians.
A piece of Pie merch of your choice.

Interested?

Please email our CEO at zoe@piefactorymusic.com for an informal chat.

Thank you for your past, present and future support.

Love,

Team Pie