The headlines which greeted the publication of UNICEF’S 2007 report on the well-being of children in 21 industrialised nations made grim reading. ‘British children: poorer, at greater risk and more insecure’, announced The Guardian.  The Daily Mail declared, ‘UK bottom of child well-being table’ while the BBC led on ‘UK is accused of failing children.’

But doom and gloom does not change anything and following the publication of the report, EiA was quick off the mark working to finalise programmes, which it was already working on and which tackle the very issues highlighted.  One of these programmes, for the CfBT Education Trust, took place in Reading during the summer term in 2007.

The programme was based in schools in the Whitley Excellence Cluster, in the bottom 20% of the most deprived areas in the UK.  It addressed issues of poverty, low self-esteem and low aspirations among young people in the area.  Through a series of challenges in which local businesses were involved, students from Reading Girls School, the John Madejski Academy and local primary schools came to realise that opportunities of employment and career advancement do, in fact, exist for them in the local community.

Microsoft, a large local employer, set a business challenge about helping the company’s partners understand the cutting edge use of the internet by younger web users, and other groups helped the police and fire services tackle seemingly intractable social problems such as graffiti and ‘mini-moto’ joy riding.   One group was featured on BBC South.

“Reading is a great place to live and work and is full of opportunities for those looking for work or thinking about setting up a business.  Unfortunately, some young people in areas like Whitley just don’t realise that these opportunities exist for them as well.  Having lived their lives in a community of high unemployment and poverty, their aspirations have taken a battering.  This programme will rekindle those aspirations and help them fulfil the great potential which they possess” said Derek Browne.

But, there is an additional twist: this project also introduces social responsibility and enterprise to primary schools in an innovative approach to engage them in finding solutions to real community challenges set by key stakeholders like the Police, Fire and Health Services, Sports Development Reading and Groundwork.  The local MP Martin Salter, MP for Reading West has also agreed to set a challenge for these students.  This part of programme is aimed at giving pupils in Year 6 at primary school, a voice in solving and influencing some of the big issues facing their community.

The students found it fun to work as young businessmen & women and really think through the challenges that they could face as young entrepreneurs.  Older pupils in the secondary schools also supported their younger colleagues through the process, and the project looked to develop stronger links between the primary and secondary schools as the children were moving up to their new school in September.