Young people constrained by circumstance are up to 20% more likely to become NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) when they lack guidance (The Gatsby Benchmarks). We believe the earlier they get access to appropriate horizons building opportunities, the more exponentially this gap closes.
Horizon Building Visits open up the world of work for ReachOut’s young people. From introducing our youngest members (ages 9–11) to the idea of jobs and skills, to helping older groups (ages 11–14) explore sectors, roles, and career pathways, these visits inspire young people to imagine their futures.
Designed in collaboration with our corporate partners (YOU!), these visits showcase your organisation and inspire young people to see themselves in a range of roles. Sessions are led by corporate volunteers, with ReachOut staff on hand to support.
The first step is to fill in the interest form linked here. When doing so, please make sure that you’ve discussed this with our Partnerships Team.
Please ensure all volunteers are aware and have read the below documents.
Visits usually run from 10:30am to 1:30pm (around 3 hours including lunch), with volunteers asked to arrive by 10:00am for a short safeguarding briefing. Timings can be adjusted if needed, and we ask hosts to provide lunch for the group where possible. To keep visits safe and engaging, we recommend a ratio of one corporate volunteer for every four young people. See below for some guidance of what the Day’s Agenda can look like.
Before the Visit Starts | |
Safeguarding Brief and Introduction (15 minutes) | The ReachOut staff member attending will arrive half an hour to an hour before the young people. They’ll provide your volunteers with important information on safeguarding, conduct during the day and answer any questions. |
Example Session Outline | |
Young People Brief (5 minutes) | The ReachOut Staff member present will brief the young people on behaviour expectations and the plan for the day. |
Ice breaker (10 minutes)
| Young people and corporate volunteers take part in an ice breaker to get to know each other and to get some energy into the room. |
Company Introduction (10 minutes) | A member of your team will lead an introduction to your organisation/department. This might include a history, details of what you do, revenue figures or number of employees. |
Activities (1 hour 30 mins) | This is a good opportunity to showcase different elements of your workplace, or spotlight specific employees/ career paths. This can also include a tour or your workplace. |
Reflection (5 minutes) | It’s likely that the young people will ask plenty of questions throughout the day, but this is a good opportunity to get everyone together to reflect on the session. Some prompts to facilitate reflection with the young people are linked below.
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Surveys (10 minutes) | At the end of the Visit, we ask all the young people, teachers and volunteers to fill in a survey. This part is vital for us to gather impact, as well as understand what we’re doing well and what we can improve. It is highly recommended that your staff fills this in during the allocated time, rather than after the Visit. |
Our Top Tips for Working with Young People
If you’re happy to move forward and secure a date for your Horizon Building Visit, please fill in the Interest Form as indicated above.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to talk to your ReachOut contact, or email us at partnerships@reachoutuk.org.
“I learned that anyone can do this job, no matter how they grew up.”
ReachOut Mentee
“At first, I was really hesitant to take on the Project Leader role, despite having mentored with ReachOut. However, with the support of the team I’ve really developed my skills. For example, at the Mentee Graduation, I stood up in front of 200 people and presented an award which is something I would never ever have been able to have done before, and isn’t an opportunity I could gain in my other situations.”
Amy McCutcheon, Project Leader at ReachOut Academy, Dean Trust Ardwick, Manchester.
“Being able to spend the summer working at Rede Partners, was an amazing experience. Whether it was working in HR or Finance, I learned so much about the world of private equity, made great connections with fantastic people and I got to learn first-hand what it would be like to work there! I really believe that I can go onto build the career I want now I’ve been a part for a workplace for real”
Victor Adekunle, 18 years old, ReachOut Ambassador, London
“When I first my mentee, she was very reluctant to participate in the sessions. Now, I see a completely different person! Her confidence has grown and she is happy to join in! She still has some self-doubt when it comes to academic work, but that’s what I hope to help her overcome, because she is a very bright person!
Through mentoring, I’ve learnt I’m a lot more patient than I realised. There will be days where she refuses to participate and those are the days that I really see the importance of the character strengths, for both the mentees and the mentors. It also makes it easier for the mentee to understand the character strengths, when I use them myself”
Myrtle, ReachOut Club mentor at Tufnell Primary School, London
“There are more distractions than ever outside of school, and the commitment of our students to attend ReachOut sessions is testament to the value they place on the relationships they foster there, and the challenge and enjoyment they provide.
ReachOut’s focus on communication skills and character development has become an important aspect of our provision of support for these students. The opportunity to relate to a positive role- model other than their usual teachers is key to the programme’s impact, and the evidence of this has been seen in the students’ attendance, resilience and to their overall progress across all the subjects in the school.”
Thomas Janvrin, Assistant Vice Principal at the Petchey Academy London
