A charity set up to inspire and empower young people from disadvantaged backgrounds has secured a crucial donation for a special ‘bootcamp’, designed to engender social leadership and develop key life and employability skills.
The gift was awarded to the Aldridge Foundation to support their work in North London by housebuilder Persimmon Homes, as part of its £1 million Building Futures programme. Under the scheme, run in collaboration with The British Olympic Association, the company supports children’s health, sport, education and the arts.
The Foundation plans to take a group of 12 and 13-year-olds to take part in their Social Enterprise bootcamp where they learn about global social and economic challenges and the UN’s 17 Sustainable Global Goals, and create their own solutions to a local or global challenge. In doing so they gain a broader world view and valuable life skills such as teamwork, problem-solving and creativity.
“We know that, on average, students from disadvantaged backgrounds lag behind their peers when they start school and this disparity often continues all the way through into employment and training,” said Aldridge Foundation CEO Shona Nichols.
“All our programmes help young people to develop key life skills and employability attributes. This goes beyond traditional academic education and can help youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds aim higher and push beyond the obstacles and barriers they face.”
Commenting on the award, Persimmon Homes North London sales director Rachel Faulkner said: “We take great pride in contributing to the communities where we develop new homes – and we have been impressed by the work of the Aldridge Foundation.
“The charity has a successful track record in supporting young people into education, training and employment, which is precisely the type of cause we champion with our Building Futures programme.”