Launching Future Ready at Unity Academy Blackpool

We are excited to officially launch our new Future Ready project with Year 9 students at Unity Academy Blackpool. This project has been made possible thanks to funding from the Commissioners Member of Parliament Fund, and we are incredibly grateful for their support in helping us deliver meaningful opportunities for young people in Blackpool.

This cohort already holds a special place for us, as we have been working with many of these young people since their transition from primary to secondary school in Year 6. It has been fantastic to continue building those relationships and to now support them during another important stage of their journey.

The Future Ready project is designed to help young people build confidence, raise aspirations, strengthen core skills and develop future thinking. Throughout the programme, the groups will also explore real issues affecting their local community through activities linked to Blackpool-specific crime and safety concerns.

Both the boys’ and girls’ groups have made an excellent start to the programme. The first sessions have focused on team-building activities and icebreakers to help the groups bond and create a supportive environment where everyone feels comfortable contributing. The young people have also completed personality tests to help them recognise their individual strengths, understand areas for growth and reflect on how they work with others.

Another exciting activity so far has been the creation of vision boards, where the young people explored their future aspirations, goals and ambitions. It has been brilliant to see them thinking positively about what they would like to achieve in the future and the steps they can take to get there.

The groups have now started developing their own social action campaigns based on issues they feel passionate about within their community. The girls’ group have chosen to focus on violence against women and girls, recognising the importance of raising awareness around safety, respect and the experiences many women and girls face both locally and nationally. The boys’ group have chosen to focus on anti-social behaviour, exploring the impact it can have on communities, relationships and opportunities for young people in Blackpool.

As part of their campaigns, the young people will conduct research, create branding for their projects, organise events and connect with local stakeholders and organisations. This will give them the opportunity to develop valuable communication, teamwork, leadership and project management skills whilst making a positive difference within their community.

We are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm, maturity and creativity both groups have already shown and we are looking forward to seeing how their projects develop over the coming months.