‘’Ignited’’ is a transformative program designed to Inspire and Empower young people aged 10+, living in Black Country, to dream big and strive for a brighter future.
‘’Mom, can I open a bank account to start saving for Mercedes G Wagon’’. Damien, age 11
Through a series of interactive workshops and immersive experiences, ‘’Ignited’’ ignites young people’s aspirations, potential and equips them with the knowledge, inspiration, and confidence to achieve their goals.
The project is aimed at young people living in high deprivation areas to show them possibilities to strive for when they get older.
We believe young minds can get Ignited, which will enable them to make choices supporting their desired future life.
Impact:
‘’Ignited’’ envisions a future where young people are empowered to:
- Set ambitious goals and envision a fulfilling future.
- Develop the skills and knowledge necessary to achieve their aspirations.
- Make informed decisions about their education, career paths, and financial well-being.
- Become active participants in shaping their own destinies and contributing positively to society.
By igniting their dreams, ‘’Ignited’’ empowers young people to become the architects of their own success stories.
Core Values:
- Empowerment: We believe in fostering self-belief and providing young people with the tools and resources to take ownership of their dreams.
- Inspiration: We cultivate a positive and aspirational environment that sparks their imaginations and ignites their passion for success.
- Accessibility: We strive to make the program inclusive and accessible to all young people, regardless of their background or circumstances.
- Actionable learning: We combine inspiration with practical guidance, equipping participants with the skills and knowledge to translate their dreams into actionable steps.
Program Activities:
- DAY 1: Property Exploration- Guided viewings of diverse and inspiring properties aiming to expose young people to different lifestyles and possibilities, broadening their horizons and fostering aspirations.
- DAY 2: Furniture window shopping- Guided visits to diverse furniture stores showcasing a variety of styles (modern, classic, sustainable) and price points; aiming to spark imagination and broaden perspectives on home design and possibilities.
- DAY 3: Car window shopping- Guided visits to luxurious car dealer shops i.e Mercedes, Tesla, Porsche etc aiming to awaken ambitious desires.
- DAY 4: Financial Literacy Session: Interactive workshops aiming to equip young people with the knowledge and tools to understand the basics of financial planning, budgeting, and responsible spending, empowering them to make informed choices about their future.
- DAY 5: Creative Visualization Workshops: Through interactive exercises, participants envision their dream homes, cars, and lifestyles, fostering goal setting and visualisation skills.
- DAY 6: Opportunities awareness- Guided visit to community based organisations, which can help explore education and employment opportunities for young people.
The Plot
In April, during Easter holiday, we delivered a Pilot to see how the project works out in real life.
We changed the order of the activities due to lack of capacity to plan and prepare some of the activities in advance.
Day One
Young people really enjoyed this activity, especially trying out reclining furniture and remote controlled beds.
They were very surprised by the high prices of the furniture.
Boys were able to plan for what furniture their future house would need: i.e dining table, sofa, chairs, beds, wardrobe etc.
Shop assistants were not impressed by very excited young people.
This activity might not be suitable for a large group.
There may be a need for more support staff to enable the activity to take place in several different shops to reduce the annoyance in the shops.
Furniture window shopping.
2 boys, aged 11 & 12 visited furniture shops at Wednesbury Retail Park, Junction 9.
Boys were provided with clipboards and asked to write down the prices of furniture they liked the most.
Day Two
One of the boys was interested in cars costing more than £100k.
The other boy thought cheaper cars were more realistic for him.
Both boys absolutely loved the trip to Lamborghini, where the shop manager allowed them to sit inside one of the cars, and provided them with magazines only given to the new buyers.
This activity might not be suitable for a large group to enable better experience.
There may be a need for more support staff to enable the activity to take place in several different shops to reduce the annoyance in the shops. Some assistants were worried young people would cause unintentional damages to cars i.e scratches.
Car window shopping.
2 boys aged 11 & 12 visited Mercedes and Lamborghini showrooms.
Boys were provided with clipboards and asked to write down the prices of cars they liked the most and would like to own in the future.
Day Three
Need to build a relationship with Sales & Lettings agents with social values.
Young people were impressed by the area and the size of the properties.
One of them said he would like to live in Sutton Coldfield in the future.
They quickly noticed how clean the street were and how many people were doing jogging during the day.
They were also surprised by the cars parked outside of the properties and said:
‘’Rich people drive normal cars’’.
We also had a discussion about potential life styles people living here could have. Both young people agreed that the people probably live healthy lifestyles, do sports, eat a healthy diet and are hard working.
Boys were asking very interesting questions during the trip like:
- What job do you need to afford a property like that
- How much do you need to earn to afford a property like that
Property Exploration.
We were unable to book any viewings of the properties.
We supported 2 boys aged 11 & 12 to complete a drive around Sutton Coldfield mansions and gated communities.
Young people were able to observe properties from the outside.
Day Four
Creative Visualization Workshop.
Two boys aged 11 & 12 completed art activity to create a Vision Board of their future life.
We provided them with lifestyle magazines and printed pictures taken on previous days.
One of the boys enjoyed the activity more than the other.
In the future we would need to provide a different variety of magazines, which turn out to be quite expensive.
Day Five
Financial Literacy Session.
The activity was delivered by one of the moms, as the professional we wanted to work with failed to attend the session.
Mom used the resources available on one of the bank’s websites.
The session included:
Credit card
Mortgage
Loans
APR/ Interest rates
Savings
Etc.
We also included maths activities for the young people, where they needed to calculate increase on their savings accounts
And repayment on their loans.
‘’Mom, can I open a bank account to start saving for Mercedes G Wagon’’.
Several days after this session, an 11 year old boy asked his mom to open a savings account.
The session was very informative.
Even though the boys said they found the information boring, the information was very useful and interactive.
Day Six & Seven
Young people found these trips boring, due to delivery from the staff and how long they were.
Some of it was interesting, especially when we visited classes very close to their interests.
The activity was very much enjoyed and beneficial for the moms, who attended with the children.
Both moms were Polish and did not attend the English education system.
The experience was helpful for them, and they both agreed they will now have better understanding and ability to support their children with making the right education choices.
In the future we would like to be able to offer the opportunity to visit different employers to showcase real examples of career opportunities.
We will need to build close relationships with employers with strong social values.
Opportunities awareness.
We organized day trips to Sandwell College and Walsall College.
The activity was attended by 4 boys all under the age of 12 and 1 boy aged 15.
The aim was to showcase education and career options, which were aligned with the interests of the young people.
Both trips were guided by college staff.
We consider the Pilot to be very successful and everyone participating enjoyed the experience.
We believe the project should be spread across 2 weeks, and ideally taking place during half term and summer holiday breaks.
If you would like to commission this project, please get in touch!