Last week Beth and Ciara (Project Manager and Project Support officer for the Enrichment
Partnership Pilot Programme) travelled all the way down to London to attend a celebration event at the Houses of Parliament, for the launch of the Education and Enrichment Report.
The report investigates how partnerships between the education and youth sectors can improve the accessibility, quality and impact of enrichment activities. They were invited by Wendy Chamberlain MP on behalf of Duke of NCS Trust and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, who are delivery partners for the exciting new Enrichment Partnerships Pilot.
After spending some time walking around sunny London, Beth and Ciara got a chance to view the amazing architecture and history in the Houses of Parliament when entering the event. They had the pleasure of meeting other people from organisations across the North West, North East and East of England who are currently working on the same pilot project.
After listening to some powerful speeches from multiple MP’s, Wendy Chamberlain MP, Stuart Andrew MP, and Lillian Greenwood MP, they got to hear from Ruth Marvel, CEO of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and Mark Gifford, CEO of the NCS Trust.
One thing mentioned that really stood out was the improvements needed in the connection between schools and the local youth sector as the young people in schools are the young people who need or are involved in the local youth services.
Baz Ramaiah, head of policy, spoke about the findings and aims of the report. He highlighted that schools may lack the capacity to deliver high-quality enrichment within their current staffing levels, and youth enrichment organisations struggle to reach young people and build relationships with local schools. He outlined how important the pilot programme is to combat this.
Ciara said “It was amazing to see what is being done nationally to make sure young people,
especially those from disadvantage backgrounds, can access high-quality enrichment from their schools and local communities. We had a great day speaking to other people from organisations and seeing their approach to this pilot programme and what a difference it will make connecting schools and local youth organisations. It wasn’t too bad getting to go into the Houses of Parliament either”
