Salford Foundation

Work With Young People

The Foundation has been operational in Salford schools for more than 16 years. During this time it has expanded its services within schools and its work with young people outside traditional educational settings.

This includes work with all young people, from the Gifted and Talented to those who become disaffected at school, but for whom an alternative, work-related curriculum may provide a more appropriate learning experience.

The ‘core’ work of the Foundation at the school level is to support and enhance the academic, vocational, personal and social development of young people by engaging volunteers from the business and wider community in the programmes highlighted below:

Block and extended work experience

Block Work Experience enables young people aged 15 or 16 to spend either one or two weeks in an organisation to gain an understanding of the world of work.

Extended Work Experience is a one- or two-day per week placement over a set number of weeks which enables pupils to develop their employability skills.

Mentoring in education

Mentoring is a form of a structured relationship in which a more experienced person (a mentor) offers support to another (a mentee) and usually for a sustained period at a point of transition. Mentors and Mentees usually meet once a fortnight and talk about a whole range of topics around the young person’s needs. Mentoring can improve self esteem, confidence, motivation and provide a positive outlook on life and the future.

Reading support at primary and high school

Reading Support takes place in around 50 Primary Schools and five High Schools. Volunteers from both business and the community visit a school to read with children for a minimum of an hour a week, working on a one-to-one basis orwith a small group. Volunteers usually see five or six pupils per hour. The results for the children are a rapid increase in their reading skills, confidence, conversation and self-esteem.

Pictured: Geoff Allen, a Corporate Lawyer with Eversheds helps Courtney McDonald from The Cathedral School of St. Peter and St. John to enjoy her reading.

Pyramid support for primary school children

Pyramid Clubs are after-school clubs for children in Year 3 at Primary School. They are an early intervention to help shy, quiet and withdrawn primary school children build their confidence, friendship groups and self esteem. The clubs have a therapeutic ethos and are held after school once a week for ten weeks within schools. Led by volunteers trained by Salford Foundation they incorporate activities such as arts and crafts, circle time, food preparartion, drama and games. Throughout the ten weeks, children gain confidence and resilience which enables them to grow in self assurance and perform better academically within school.

Professional development placements for school staff

Also known as ‘Teacher Placements’, these are usually one-day placements which contribute to teachers’ personal and professional development, as well as providing the catalyst for many other learning opportunities. Placements provide teachers with an understanding of how industry operates and they can also inform the business sector about current practice in the classroom.

Work with Excellence in Cities

Activities include those which support the Salford EiC Action Zones including Gifted and Talented. This work includes a focus on the transition from Primary School to High School, with business input supporting projects based around the curriculum. This work also looks at stretching the more able students who are invited to take part in challenging activities, as well as providing aspirational activities to encourage students to go on into further and higher education.

Peer Mentoring

A Peer Mentoring programme operates in 6 Salford high schools and six Primary Schools. Pupils in Year 10 mentor pupils in Year 7 in a one-to-one non-judgemental relationship whilst in the primary schools 'Buddies' from Years 5 or 6 are paired with children Year 3. The pupils share their experiences and the mentor builds their relationship with the mentee to support transition, develop new skills and improve self belief.

High School Projects

There are a wide range of activities/projects set up across all Salford High Schools to encompass the Work-Related Learning Agenda, such as Mock Interviews, Employability Skills Days, World of Work days and there is a great emphasis on Enterprise, where students are given the opportunity to work with employers to set up businesses, take a risk, manage money and be innovative and creative.

Pictured: Students from St. Patrick's RC High School take a look at the construction of mediacity

Young Volunteers

YV encourages, supports and recognises 13-16 year olds from Salford who volunteer, building on personal interests and issues that individuals really care about. Opportunities include sponsored walks and runs, conservation work, media projects, working with animals and taking part in community events such as fun days. Volunteers can work towards awards in recognition of 25 hours, 50 hours, 75 hours and 100 hours volunteering and beyond.

vinvolved

vinvolved is the nationwide youth volunteering programme aimed at creating the biggest range of volunteering opportunities for young people aged 16 - 25. Salford Foundation is responsible for delivering the programme in three Greater Manchester boroughs, Salford, Tameside and Trafford. Young people are encouraged to give some of their time to help out with community-based projects taking in health and social welfare, sports, youth activities, arts and culture. Businesses are also encouraged to release staff to enable them to share in the volunteering experience. v aims to inspire a new generation of volunteers in England and to boost the quality, quantitity and diversity of youth volunteering. (See also Volunteering Opportunities) Pictured are members of Trafford's Youth Action Team.

Compact

Compact aims to provide alternative solutions to assist young people in the NDC area of Salford to find ways into education, employment or training. Compact provides links between businesses and high schools. Its principle purpose is to help students gain a greater understanding of the world of work and how the curriculum they are learning reflects this. Compact also targets students who are at risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) on leaving school and those who are already NEET on leaving school. By working closely with individual young people, the project provides tailored opportunities to gain long term work experience (NVQ accredited) self-confidence and self-esteem to make their way forward into the workplace or further education. Packages are developed for every young person and are tailored to their interests and aspirations.