Macquarie Group invests in new ReachOut! project to help Hackney’s young people gain skills

ReachOut! children’s charity is launching the Junior Mentors project for young people in Hackney this New Year. With high youth unemployment levels in the UK, the project has been created to provide young people with the skills they need to get a job and achieve their goals in life. It aims to help them improve self-confidence and raise their aspirations. Trialled in Manchester, the ReachOut! project is now expanding to Hackney and Tower Hamlets thanks to support from the Macquarie Group Foundation.

Young people in Year 10 and 11 can receive leadership and mentoring training and have access to workshops with local businesses, such as investment bank Macquarie and financial news company Bloomberg, whilst receiving support from a mentor. They will then have the opportunity to become mentors themselves and provide peer support to children on other ReachOut! projects during the summer and gain valuable work experience.

ReachOut! Project Manager Justin Pickett said:

“Young people should take advantage of our passion to help them create a foundation to build and enhance their life skills and career opportunities. Having worked with young people for over 15 years, I can honestly say that this ReachOut! project provides a unique platform of support for young people to really fulfil their true potential.”

The ReachOut! Junior Mentors project is free to attend and ReachOut! is calling for young people in Year 10 and 11 to come forward and take part. It will start on Thursday 17th January and run at The Petchey Academy on Thursday evenings 6-8pm for 20 weeks. Young people who are interested should contact ReachOut! on 0207 2496881 or info@reachoutuk.org for more information and to sign up.

For more information, interviews or images please contact:

Frances Blackwell
0207 249 6881 or 07985540239
frances.blackwell@reachoutuk.org

Notes to editors:

1. Interviews and photographs are available on request.
2. Please note that ReachOut! the charity should be written with a capital “R”, a capital “O”, no spaces and an exclamation mark.
3. More details about ReachOut! can be found on our website www.reachoutuk.org.

More about the ReachOut! Junior Mentors Project

At the Junior Mentors project, trained ReachOut! senior mentors support young people aged 14-16 to build their self-confidence, skills and experience so that they can enjoy improved life chances for the future. This might mean feeling better about themselves, being able to get a job they enjoy, or going into further education.

Group work activities aimed at developing leadership skills create a safe environment for collective voice, shared learning and reflection. During the one-to-one activities mentors can build a deep personal relationship with their mentee and begin to support them with their personal development. Activities at the end of the session focus on the interests of the young people and usually include sport, cooking, creative design or working towards an event, such as a fashion show.

A video about the Junior Mentors Project based in Manchester can be found on the ReachOut! website here: https://www.reachoutuk.org/?page_id=89.