|TOP|The Church of England recently launched a £1m fund to enable young people to share their faith with their peers.

The aim is to provide a light touch process, involving young people, so that money can be given directly to parishes, deaneries, and chaplaincies.

The Youth Evangelism Fund will be half funded by the Archbishop's Council and match funded with grants from the Henry Smith Charity, the Laing Family Trusts and the James Trust, to provide about £200,000 a year for the next five years.

Local leaders will act as sponsors to the young people. During each of the five years, dioceses will be given cash for young people aged 11 to 20 to apply for. This year nine dioceses will receive £25,000 each, including Bradford, Newcastle, Sheffield, and Birmingham.

|AD|Young people will be able to apply via their local diocesan youth officers for grants ranging from £200 to £3,000, said Paul Bayes, the Church of England's national mission and evangelism adviser: "The money is aimed at Christian young people who have ideas for reaching other young people."

A pilot last year in four areas involved young people carrying out projects including film nights in rural areas and environmental clearing.

The application process will remain open until the end of September, with decisions made in October, said Bayes.

The Church of England will provide opportunities for youth leaders to consider how they support young people in sharing their faith at sessions at the Childrens & Youth Workers Training Day on Saturday 7th October, Queen Elizabeth School Mansfield. There is also a residential weekend at Dovedale for young people aged 14-20 with Nottingham Youth For Christ helping them to become more confident in sharing their faith October 13th-15th.