The organisation

Fairbridge is a national youth development charity working with around 3,000 of the most disadvantaged young people living in Britain's major cities. They include regular truants, those excluded from school and young people whom other agencies often find too difficult to work with. Fairbridge has been recognised and praised by The Home Office for its work with young people and the valuable preventative role it plays with regard to drugs and crime.

The programme

‘Sport for Change’ is a pilot programme of two courses for 50 people annually, in collaboration with Liverpool University and Liverpool Football Club Training Academy. The football-based programmes incorporate health and fitness with personal and social skills development, literacy, community skills and work experience. Both courses provide an opportunity for the youngsters to gain an accredited qualification.

How it fulfilled our aims as an organisation

Fairbridge applied to the Foundation under the Social Welfare and Development category. The Sport for Change programme is helping young people to increase their understanding of their abilities and their actions, developing their ability to manage and reduce conflict, and by increasing their confidence and skills is helping to reduce exclusion. As basic skills are embedded into the Sport for Change programme, this also meets our aim of supporting projects to improve literacy and numeracy for the ‘hard to reach’. Fairbridge’s collaborative approach is an example of how new productive relationships can bring about real benefits for young people. Fairbridge has national influence through its policy and campaigning work.

How we helped

In 2005 the Foundation contributed £25,000 to the Sport for Change programme.

“When I came to Fairbridge I had reservations, I didn’t believe that anyone would be able to help me. But with the support of staff I have found a path in life and together with the team I am applying for jobs in IT. My plans for the future are to get a decent job, have a car and a family of my own.”

“I haven’t really been in school since I was about 14, I used to go but I was getting bullied because I am dyslexic… Fairbridge is different to going to school, we get prepared for the world outside. I am going to college to learn to be a joiner because even though I have dyslexia I am good at other things.”