No Dream too Big for Sheffield Young People
Monday 10 November 2008
Sheffield businesses are being invited to take part in building a brighter future for the city’s young people this month (November 2008).
Through Sheffield First Partnership, 350 invitations have been sent out to some of the city’s businesses, public sector organisations and community groups as the first phase in the city’s new drive to raise aspirations among young people and their families.
The invitations ask organisations to make a pledge to do something tangible that will make a difference to the lives of children and young people.
Current data shows that only two in three of Sheffield’s 11 year olds achieve the nationally expected standard in both English and Maths. At 16, only four in ten Sheffield young people achieve five good GCSEs including English and Maths, and at 19, one in three still have not achieved five good GCSEs or the equivalent vocational qualifications. This results in nearly 2,000 young people each year entering adulthood without the basic skills and qualifications they need to get and keep good jobs.
“It’s clear that we’re not going to tackle the issue of attainment for our young people if we just sit back and settle for second best,” says Cllr Paul Scriven, Leader of Sheffield City Council and Chair of Sheffield First Partnership
“I’d like to see everyone in the city working together to make sure we inspire ambition, and to take every opportunity to encourage the hopes and dreams of our young people, and to help them make their dreams happen.
“Every young person in Sheffield deserves the best possible support and encouragement to achieve their full potential, wherever they live. Our attainment results are not acceptable, and we must stop letting our young people down.
“I’m very excited about the support we have already received from many businesses and community organisations in Sheffield, all of whom agree that this issue is absolutely crucial in order for us to build a great future for our city. Every single one of us needs to go that extra mile for our young people to make sure they can and do achieve, and that they carve out great futures for themselves in our city.”
Organisations are invited to make pledges that will help to:
- Deliver their business in ways which help young people to achieve and aspire.
- Make a specific minimum commitment of time, money or other resources to help young people in ways which support their learning and ambition.
- Help staff who are parents to play an active role in their child’s education.
Some actions that organisations have already taken include a group of businesses who work with Sheffield City Council and Meadowhall to develop high-quality retail training for 14 to 19 year olds, and a number of community groups in Burngreave who work together to help 334 young people with homework and study support.
Other organisations are considering taking part by offering staff as volunteers to support classroom reading, mentoring young people in order to inspire and foster ambition, and giving employees time off to fulfil school governor duties.
As these pledges are made and start to be delivered, Sheffield First Partnership will work with Sheffield City Council to host an event on 27 January 2009 at the City Hall Ballroom. The event will showcase what is being and can be done to help the city move to the next phase, which will be to offer the pledge opportunity more widely and encourage even more businesses and community groups to take part.
Find out more about the pledge or sign up online at www.sheffieldfirst.org.uk