Charity joins £15m initiative to help young people with education and employment

Youth Futures Foundation has announced Football Beyond Borders as the first partner for its £15m Building Futures programme, aimed at helping young people at risk of missing out on further education or employment.

Funded by Dormant Assets and awarded by the Government, Building Futures will test how targeted mentoring can support students who are struggling.

The charity, Football Beyond Borders will work with 500 young people aged 12 to 15 during the first phase, offering personalised coaching and wellbeing support over an academic year.

Seven schools from high NEET areas in the West Midlands, North West, and London will participate.

Students will receive both one-on-one and group sessions, with trained mentors providing ongoing, personalised support.

The goal is to boost engagement in education, improve well-being, and reduce the likelihood of students becoming NEET by age 18.

The programme will be evaluated over several years, aiming to reach 5,000 young people by 2029, with a focus on measuring its impact on education and employment outcomes.

Culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said: The Dormant Assets Scheme has unlocked almost £1bn for good causes across the UK, driving powerful change in our communities. This government will continue to support valuable, active interventions for young people through this fund, and our important partnership with civil society.”

Barry Fletcher, CEO of the Youth Futures Foundation, said: We are delighted to launch Building Futures with our partners at Football Beyond Borders and to be working with young people who most need this extra help, whilst crucially as a What Works Centre, building the evidence base.

 “The youth unemployment and inactivity challenge across our country requires dedicated and long-term attention from Government, employers, civil society and all our partners. This needs to be informed by the most robust evidence, of which Building Futures is an essential part.”

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