Street League and the Westminster Foundation - An innovative new partnership
A hub for excellence
Street League are thrilled to announce a new five-year partnership with the Westminster Foundation to create an innovative Hub for Excellence in Westminster that will help young Londoners achieve their potential with education and employment support.
Street League has been working across London since 2001 and currently runs employability hubs in four London boroughs; Camden, Newham, Southwark and Hillingdon. This new Hub for Excellence will be based at the St Andrews Club in Westminster and will combine our successful sports and employment programme with a new qualifications programme. It has been supported by a grant from the Westminster Foundation worth more than £400,000 over five years.
The hub will give local young people a second chance to achieve their Maths and English qualifications in an inclusive, fun and engaging environment. It will support 300 young Londoners over the next five years, providing tutorials and employability sessions, and daily sports sessions to develop participants’ broader skills and confidence.
Young people are being hit particularly hard right now with unemployment figures showing those aged 16 – 24 suffering the biggest drop in employment compared with other age groups.
These qualifications will give young people with the opportunity they need to move into a wider range of jobs, pursue further education or apprenticeships, and in turn, increase their earning potential, opportunities for progression and financial security that is much less likely in low-skilled roles.
The Duke of Westminster visited Street League's London hub
The Duke of Westminster, Chair of the Westminster Foundation, visited a Street League programme in London before lockdown at the end of last year. Speaking after the visit, he said:
“As a result of the pandemic there is a greater need to help young people than ever before. Youth unemployment has already risen far quicker than in the UK’s last three recessions and without the right skills or work experience, the challenge will be even greater. Street League is an excellent charity with a brilliant track record of engaging hard to reach disadvantaged young people in learning, with the aim of supporting them through the qualifications that are so important in helping them into employment, so we’re delighted to support them.”
Our programme is free to every young person who needs our support, like Mohammed who passed our qualifications programme in Sheffield:
“Street League has given me my focus back. I love the environment and the programme has really helped me with qualifications I needed and a plan for my future.”
Street League shares The Westminster Foundation’s commitment to giving every young person the opportunity to be successful in life. The Foundation provides funding to causes who deliver support to children and young people, their families and the local communities around them by tackling the causes and impact of inter-generational inequality. Street League are delighted to embark on this innovative partnership with the Westminster Foundation and work together to deliver long-term social impact for young people in Westminster.
If you are interested in finding out more about our qualifications programme or would like to chat about how you can support young people at Street League, please get in touch with info@streetleague.co.uk.