A host of big name businesses are taking part in a ground-breaking event which will transform the lives of disengaged Croydon schoolchildren.
The Be the Change Programme, which has a proven track record of improving the happiness confidence and engagement of youngsters, is being brought to Croydon with a pilot launch taking place at Crystal Palace Football Club on Thursday, September 22 and sponsored by the University of Sussex and the Careers and Enterprise Company.
The Body Shop, NatWest, Westfield, Gatwick Airport, Met Police, Southern Water and Lendlease are among the companies that will be attending the event, which is being brought to the borough by award winning social enterprise humanutopia and local jobs board LoveCroydonJobs, part of the LoveLocalJobs family. Approximately thirty-five senior figures from 20 organisations and businesses have already agreed to act as business volunteer guides for the day, which works to bridge the gap between young people and their potential future employers, with organisers hoping Thursday's event will inspire many others to take part in a full programme moving forward.
Rosanna Farrar, head of partnerships and events at LoveCroydonJobs, said: "We have been overwhelmed by the willingness of Croydon's business community to support this amazing initiative. "Be the Change is designed to positively impact and shape the future workforce at the same time as offering businesses a fantastic opportunity to make a tangible, measurable and life-changing difference to local young people. "We are working with 13 and 14 year olds because that is a pivotal age where the life choices they make can have a major effect on their employability in the future.
humanutopia and the Be the Change Programme has a proven track record of transforming the life chances of Year 9 students who may be struggling at school due to lack of confidence or disengagement with their learning. In Sussex, the programme has already been widely acclaimed for the way in which it focuses on happiness, confidence, hope, relationships and employability to help young people to identify and overcome their barriers to success.
The idea is to bridge the gap between young people and their potential future employers, as well as taking action to improve the talent pipeline, taking direct action to address the recruitment concerns which have been voiced by many Croydon businesses. Youngsters from Croydon schools will be taking part in the pilot event: Archbishop Tenison, Harris City Academy, Meridian High School, Oasis Shirley Park, Quest Academy, Riddlesdown Collegiate, St Andrew's Church of England High School, Thomas More Catholic School and Virgo Fidelis Convent School will be asked what changes they might want to make in order to be successful.
Founding partners of LoveCroydonJobs.com, Harris Global, LV=, StartUpCroydon and White Label Creative are backing the Be the Change initiative, which is also being supported by the Crystal Palace Football Club, Crystal Palace FC Foundation, Croydon MET Police and Croydon Commitment. To find out more about Be the Change, visit http://about.lovelocaljobs.com/portfolio-item/be-the-change/
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