Leading UK education charity, Founders4Schools launched an emergency appeal today to alleviate the impact of the pandemic on the future of our young people as we enter the biggest recession since records began.

This year has seen millions of young people miss months of crucial education, experience isolation, suffer anxiety at the financial impact their families endure, and the socio-economic disadvantage is more apparent than ever.

Those who have just left education face youth unemployment figures set to exceed 1 million, accelerated by the national digital skills void which Founders4Schools has been preparing to overcome since 2015. At a time when the future should seem exciting and full of opportunity, young people’s hopes and aspirations are crushed as we head into an economic crisis.

Founders4Schools (F4S) connects thousands of young people each year with inspiring role models from the likes of Hitachi ABB Power Grids and Lloyds Banking Group to prepare them for the rapidly changing world of work and address the digital skills gap. Research confirms that these encounters drive down the number of young people who are ‘Not in Education, Employment or Training’ (NEET) in society and they raise the aspirations and attainment of students.

VP International at Snapchat and F4S trustee, Claire Valoti speaks passionately about the issue; “The pandemic has shown that it’s never been more important to equip young people with the digital skills they need to succeed in the future economy. In every industry, digital transformation has accelerated since the beginning of the year and we urgently need to bridge the gap between what is taught in schools and what is required in the workplace.

As a parent, I want to prepare my children to find meaningful, long-term employment. As a business leader, I want to be able to access the skills we need to innovate and remain agile. Founders4Schools allows professionals like me to up-skill our teachers and inspire students of all ages with the importance of greater digital fluency.”

The charity has launched the appeal in line with the global day of generosity, ‘GivingTuesday.’ In 2019, GivingTuesday was the top trending item on UK Twitter, and more than £14.2 million was raised in online donations, equivalent to almost £10,000 per minute.

Michaela Eschbach, Managing Director at Founders4Schools explains, “As the pandemic continues to devastate millions of young lives across the UK, we’re appealing to the generosity of UK business owners, entrepreneurs, parents and believers in young people, to ‘give back’ as we launch our Futures4Students Fund.

The impact of the pandemic on young people is already significant with pressures on mental health and growing unemployment numbers. We need to change the trajectory of the ‘Covid Generation’. We cannot know exactly what the future holds, but we can ensure young people are equipped with the skills, hope and encouragement they need to get the best start no matter what their background. With one million young people expected to face unemployment by the end of the year, there has never been a more poignant time for us to take action.”

Founders4Schools aims to reach 2.5m students across the UK over the next 3 years to drive students into further education and support employment thereafter. To donate or find out more about the Futures4Students appeal and how you can get involved, please visit www.support-founders4schools.org.uk

Notes to Editors

Founders4Schools

Founders4Schools is an award-winning educational-tech charity working towards a vision where children and young people are given the best start in life, no matter their background. They connect children and young people with inspirational role models to improve their aspirations, fulfil their potential and prepare them for the rapidly changing world of work. 

Founders4Students has impacted 396,413 students to date. Over the next 3 years, Founders4Schools aims to have reached 2.5 million students to inspire hope and ambition, and influence preparation for real jobs at the

Website: www.founders4schools.org.uk

Twitter: @Founders4School

LinkedIn: Founders4Schools

Facebook: facebook.com/Founders4School

Instagram @f4sdigital

Contact details: Laurena Robinson, Head of Fundraising at Founders4Schools. laurena.robinson@f4s.org.uk

Giving Tuesday

A global phenomenon, #GivingTuesday has broken successive world records for the most money donated online to charity.

GiveBack2020 is a fundraising initiative as part of #GivingTuesday 2020, supported by JustGiving, Virgin Money Giving and PayPal among others

#GivingTuesday began in America in 2012 as a way to give back after the well-known shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It was brought to the UK by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in 2014 with the aim of encouraging people to think of others in the run up to Christmas.

In 2019 leading charities and brands supported the day including Cancer Research UK, Dog’s Trust, Marie Curie, BT, Samsung and Salesforce.

Website: www.givingtuesday.org.uk

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/givingtuesdayuk/

Facebook: facebook.com/givingtuesdayuk

Twitter: @givingtuesdayuk