Young Solutions is delighted to have secured grants through the Big Lottery Awards for All programme and the Eveson Charitable Trust to fund a new project entitled ‘Goals for Life’.

‘Goals for Life’ will be a partnership project with three special schools from across Worcestershire. The project will provide opportunities for young people with learning difficulties to participate in sports that they enjoy, allowing them to explore, in a safe environment, social activities with other young people. It will also widen opportunities to mix, have contact and build friendships with their peers from non-special schools. The project will also challenge perceptions about young people with learning difficulties that exist amongst some students in mainstream schools.

The main focus for the project will be playing football, although the young advisors who helped design the project wanted climbing to be incorporated too. So the project will not only offer access to playing organised football which is generally unavailable to young people with learning difficulties, but will also offer some the chance to go climbing! Young Solutions believes ‘Goals for Life’ will offer exciting new chances through participating in these activities.

Another partnership element is support from the young Police Cadet volunteers, who will help run as well as participate in the project. Their contact with young people with learning difficulties will mean they will gain a better understanding of the issues young people with learning difficulties face. In addition it will build their personal competences and enhance their employability skills.

We are delighted to have received the funding to enable us to run this project, which builds on our successful previous ‘Inclusion for All’ project.

‘Goals for Life’ commences in June 2017 and runs until March 2018. For more information contact Phil Street on 01905 795098 or email phil@youngsolutions.org.uk .