Back to School Packs Give Young People a Sense of Pride
4 November 2022
Our client, Optivo, is a social landlord and provider of high quality, affordable homes.
As part of our ongoing social value commitment to Optivo, we meet regularly with them and Fresh Visions, a registered charity they work closely with which is dedicated to changing lives through a variety of community initiatives.
About the cause
Fresh Visions supports children, young people and adults who face extreme disadvantage.
Fresh Visions’ Young Person’s Development Programme consists of two projects, one of those being Motivate which is being delivered within Optivo housing communities across Hastings in Sussex, and Lambeth and Croydon in South London.
Motivate is an after-school youth club targeting 10-16 year olds. The programme supports young people to gain confidence, make informed healthy lifestyle choices and progress into further learning and employment. Typically, young people in the target areas risk falling out of education and training, as well as being vulnerable to negative influences.
Motivate sessions are run weekly within local community centres. They provide a safe space for young people to meet, gain support and learn new skills. The sessions involve a variety of activities, from sports, cooking and baking and arts and crafts, to informative talks around mental health, well-being and other topics. During the summer, the group also took young members on trips, including to the seaside.
During our meetings with Optivo and Fresh Visions, we get the opportunity to understand what is important within their communities, and brainstorm ways in which we can help make a difference.
Something that came up during our discussions was how many of the families of the young people attending the Motivate sessions were unable to afford to equip them with the basics they needed when going back to school. If the children could start the new term with a few new things of their own, it would help to boost their confidence and create a sense of self-pride.
How we helped
We sponsored 150 back to school packs, consisting of branded gym bags filled with stationery and toiletry items, all of which were handed out to the young Motivate members who needed them most.
According to Motivate South London Project Co-Ordinator Youth Jillian Jones, the recipients were very excited, with one saying, “I have my own deodorant, my own shower gel,” and another, “No one is going to use it. I’m going to use the bag every day.” A parent also called to say, “Thank you so much.”
Jillian added, “Motivate South London young people and the team send a big thank you to Faithorn, Farrell & Timms for its generosity and continued support.”
Our social value commitment
We are very much dedicated to supporting the social value commitments of our clients. For us, it goes way beyond meeting an obligation. It is more about how we can make a difference in our clients’ communities, and spending time with community officers helps us better understand how we can do this, whilst fulfilling our own social value goals to improve opportunities for young and vulnerable people within local communities.
