Announcing Four New Charities

Announcing Four New Charities

After many months of careful homework, PEF has chosen four new charities to work with over the coming year. Here’s what they do:

Fairbridge

Every year, Fairbridge works with over 3,000 young people who are not in education, employment or training, or who are at very high risk of dropping out of school. These young people from some of the most deprived inner city areas of England, Scotland and Wales might have a range of problems, including substance misuse or a history of offending. The charity works to help stabilise these young people, and build their skills and confidence so that they can re-enter the world of education or employment. Over 70% of participants achieve a positive outcome, such as a qualification or moving on to employment. PEF is investing in Fairbridge to scale up delivery capacity in its existing locations, so that it can help more than twice as many young people in five years’ time.

School-Home Support

School-Home Support (SHS) helps troubled and vulnerable children by providing a link between school and home, and addressing issues that might be preventing children from benefiting from their schooling. These children are typically at significant risk of dropping out or being excluded from school, which in turn increases the risk that they will not be in education, employment or training later on in life. In 2006/07, SHS worked with 32,000 children in London, the East Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber. In 2007 New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) published its report Misspent Youth, which compared the financial cost of SHS interventions with the cost of school exclusions. Their report, which was picked up widely in the national and financial press, found that: “If all the children in danger of exclusion had access to the services of School-Home Support then society would save £90m a year.” PEF is investing to help SHS grow its impact both directly (reaching twice as many children by 2013) and indirectly, through training, advocacy and thought leadership.

Skill Force

Skill Force works in schools to deliver skills-based courses to young people who are low achievers, and are at high risk of dropping out and then remaining out of education, employment and training. Courses combine classroom learning with outdoor activities, and are delivered largely by ex-Armed Forces personnel. In 2006/07, Skill Force worked with more than 6,000 young people, and at least 84% went on to further education, training or employment immediately after finishing the course. PEF is helping Skill Force to transition to a more robust and sustainable operating model, which will be a platform for future growth, so that they can help even more young people to stay motivated and engaged at school.

Tomorrow’s People – Working It Out programme

The Working It Out programme run by Tomorrow’s People’s helps young people who are not in education, employment or training by building their confidence and skills. These young people have typically come from poor homes and have been excluded from school. Young people progress through a series of engaging and challenging activities, and are supported to think about and pursue the next step in their lives. Some 86% of leavers go into employment or training, and follow-up monitoring suggests that over half are still in employment a year later. PEF is helping Tomorrow’s People to replicate the Working It Out programme in additional locations so that it can reach three times as many young people in three years’ time.

Figuring out young people