Xfm London is giving away £50,000 to young people to help them organise fund-raising events for Oxfam. 200 event organisers will each be awarded £250 towards the costs running an Oxjam event, which features live bands. Applicants can now be made online.
The project marks the first time a charity and a radio station have distributed individual grants to help young people aged 16-25 stage small-scale music events. Applications will take place online at the Xfm website starting today till August 18t, after which Xfm and Oxfam will pick out 200 events to be awarded the grants.
The events are being funded by v, the youth volunteering charity whose mission is to inspire a new generation of volunteers through activities such as music. The money could be spent on anything from venue hire and paying a soundman to printing up flyers and posters for an event.
Xfm DJ John Kennedy, the station’s champion of new music, said: "This is a fantastic way for the stars of tomorrow to get themselves in the spotlight at the same time as doing their bit to fight poverty around the world. We were already excited by Oxjam as a platform for new live music, so it’s great for us to be able to get our listeners involved so directly."
Bands performing at the 200 Xfm Oxjam shows will also have the chance to be featured on Xfm during October.