An Oldham social enterprise is celebrating a £90,000 grant from BBC Children in Need.

Upturn, an Oldham-based social enterprise established in 2004, is celebrating its third year of supporting young people experiencing poverty in Oldham, thanks to the grant.

According to the organisation, the successful bid for funding will mean Upturn is for a programme designed to help young people experiencing poverty in Oldham to gain employment, enhance life skills to reduce social isolation and receive advice on issues including money management, housing issues and relationships.

The grant, which saw Upturn receive £90,000 over three years, has enabled the organisation to create a team of young community champions – including a life coach and talent coach – who deliver a programme of activities to change young people’s lives for the better. 

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Of the 51 young people who engaged with the BBC Children in Need funded programme, Upturn saw all 51 participants secure employment or enter further education.

Maria Williams, Co-Founder and HRM Director of Upturn, said: “Out of the 51 young people who engaged with the programme, more than three-quarters of them told us they felt isolated, lonely, and lacked support infrastructures, particularly following Covid, when everything shut down.

“This is why we at Upturn are here – we want to support these young people and make a tangible, positive impact on their lives.

“To see almost all the young people either secure employment or enter further education as a result of this programme is just amazing, and we can’t thank BBC Children in Need enough for the additional support.”

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Maria added: “We are passionate about understanding our community and being able to support people who are faced with the toughest challenges.

“We have a solid proven track record of really making an impact in the Oldham community and have established effective methods of engagement and outreach to really understand the challenges faced, and then put support in place to combat these issues.

“The team of young community champions, plus the life coach and talent coach, have together delivered a blended programme of activities deep in the heart of the communities we serve, and the results have been fantastic.”

From the programme, seven young people entered apprenticeships, and 26 secured permanent employment. A total of 25 young people entered Further Education at various levels thanks to the scheme.

Emily Swords, BBC Children in Need’s Head of North, said: “It’s always a real privilege to award grants to organisations like Upturn Enterprise, who deliver employability support in Oldham. It demonstrates how our grants programme makes a positive difference to children and young people’s lives.” 

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