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Peer Action Collective (PAC) Project

Peer Action Collective (PAC) Project
Expression of Interest

The Violence Reduction Network (VRN) has partnered with the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) to become one of four delivery partners in the national Peer Action Collective (PAC) project being delivered between September 2025-September 2027. This project will be delivered in Leicester in collaboration with Young Leicestershire and Leicestershire Police. We are looking for two grassroots community groups – one based in East Leicester and one based in West Leicester – to join the project as partners.

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PAC is a ground-breaking youth-led initiative that empowers young people to conduct research in their communities and turn their findings into action.

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There are two opportunities available – one for a grassroots community group based in East Leicester, and one for a group based in West Leicester. Each group should have direct access to children and young people with lived experience of violence and policing, as well as experience in delivering projects that empower them.

 

Each of the two grassroots community groups will receive a total of £25,000 over the two years to support young people to take on roles in designing and delivering peer research and social action projects to implement change locally and nationally.

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About PAC

PAC is a youth-led model which aims to empower young people, particularly those with lived experience of crime and violence, to create positive change.  It is delivered in two phases:

 

  1. Peer research: Eleven PAC Leads (16-20 years) are recruited and trained to be peer researchers and then design, carry out and analyse the research with 500 other young people. These roles are paid. The research area is policing, and young people will work with the YEF to agree the topic and research question. The young researchers will present their findings and recommendations to key stakeholders. 

  2. Social action: Following on from the research, the same eleven young people will co-design and deliver youth-led projects to support change. They will recruit and support a wider group of 50 change makers and 100 social action participants thereby providing volunteering opportunities to a larger group of young people from within the same communities.    

The Criteria

Our two grassroots community groups on the project should meet the following criteria:

 

  • Be embedded in a community within East or West Leicester (with access to their own venue)

  • Have a strong reach of children and young people aged between 10-20 with lived experience of violence and policing

  • Have employed youth worker(s) within the organisation who have positive relationships with young people within your community and have experience of providing pastoral support to young people who have been involved in violence or had experience with the police

  • Have experience in empowering young people to take part in youth leadership and/or social action projects

  • Have experience of working collaboratively with partners and working on a project plan

  • Have a track record of completing quarterly monitoring documents and submitting them on time

  • Interested in being part of the research topic focus on policing, and implement change locally and nationally

  • Experienced in safeguarding young people and have an up-to-date safeguarding policy with safeguarding trained staff and a Dedicated Safeguarding Lead.

The Application Process

The application process will open on 30th July 2025 and the deadline for completion is on 21st August 2025 at 23:59.

 

The process involves the following steps:

 

  1. Please familiarise yourself with PAC and the project requirements, and ensure you meet the essential criteria and have the capacity to become a partner in PAC.

  2. Complete the Expression of Interest form here and send your safeguarding policy to vrn@leics.pcc.pnn.gov.uk.

  3. You will receive confirmation from the VRN that we have received your application within 48 hours of receipt.

  4. An internal panel will score your expression of interest. The top 2 scorers in each area will be invited to join a one-hour virtual interview on Friday 29th August 2025. The question(s) for the interview will be shared in advance.

  5. All successful and unsuccessful applicants will be informed by Tuesday 2nd September 2025.

  6. Successful applicants will receive a funding agreement from the VRN/OPCC to sign, and then the payment process will begin.

 

There is a short webinar being held on Wednesday 6th August 2025 4pm-5pm. If you would like the link, please email us at vrn@leics.pcc.pnn.gov.uk.

 

Please read the guidance document before applying, here.

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