What We Do – Youth Aspire Connect

Raising aspirations & widening participation

We support young people to aspire to achieve their aspirations by creating opportunities, providing support, and fostering an environment where they can envision and work towards a successful future. Every year we take 100 young people aged 11-17 years especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds across Hull and East Yorkshire to the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge to broaden their horizons and inspire them to aim higher in their academic and career pursuits. The trip offers young people great opportunity to network, meet role models who demonstrate that success at a prestigious university is attainable. These trips have been transformative, instilling a sense of possibility and ambition in the life of young people we support. We organise youth conferences and career fairs where young people can learn about different professions, meet professionals, and explore career options.

Employability & life skill development

The number of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEETs) in Hull is higher than the England average. In 2020, 14% of people in Hull had never used the internet or had no internet access in the last 3 months, almost double the UK rate of 8% (ONS Internet Users, 2020).
We deliver a local digital inclusion training programme for young people aged 11-16 years and employability skills training for school leavers aged 17-25 years to equip them for the future workforce.
The training runs every Saturday from 1-5 pm and covers basic skills such as using email/social media; internet safety, Microsoft Office suite (e.g. Word processing, PPT, Excel) and advanced skills such as Coding (Python), Content creation, Data analysis (e.g.MS Power BI, Excel, SQL).
Our target is to equip and train 100 young people (50 boys and 50 girls) in Hull and East Yorkshire on employability/digital skills- both basic and advanced by 2025 to transform the digital economy in the region.

Health & wellbeing Hub

a. Mindfulness and Breathwork training: We train young people on how to use Mindfulness and Breathwork techniques and other practical insights and tools to support and boost their Mental Health and Wellbeing. Our trainings are delivered by certified Mindfulness and Conscious Breathing experts.

b. YAC Youth Connect: We hold quarterly indoor activities where young people can connect with each other, express their feelings, share experiences, and receive personalised advice and support in a safe and non-judgemental environment. YAC Youth Connect is led by our youth ambasssadors who are passionate about improving young people’s mental health and welbeing.

c. YAC Sports Club: We organise multi-sports sessions to help children and young people connect with their peers from different families and communities which increases their self-esteem, reduce social isolation, build cultural integration, and can reduce stress and anxiety whereby improving their overall health and wellbeing.

Our sports activities are led by Graduate Sports Assistants. Building positive attitudes to sport and physical activity in children from an early age can help them to feel more motivated, confident and able to get active throughout their life.

Mentorship

We run 1-2-1 or group career and mentorship sessions to offer advice, guidance, and support young people to set goals, solve problems, explore career options and navigate career challenges.
Our mentors expose young people to various career options, helping them understand different professions and the pathways to reach them. They help young people build resilience by teaching them how to cope with setbacks and persevere in the face of difficulties.
If you are passionate about making a difference by using your story to inspire and encourage youth to ‘power-up’ their aspirations and commitment to work towards their goals, you can sign up to become one of our mentors.
Click here to join mentoring group:
Mentor click here to join
Mentee click here to join

Leadership & Social Actions

We empower young people to become leaders, set goals, and engage in social actions. We are currently supporting a group of vibrant youths who are leading a national Anti-Racism In-school campaign to address a systematic issue that threatens their career prospects and mental well-being. The Anti-Racism campaign underpinned by the four domains of Lundy Model (Space, Voice, Audience, and Influence) has been featured on BBC Look North, BBC Radio Humberside, and other media platforms. Together the young people have developed (i) an Anti-Racism in-school Policy, (ii) an Anti-Racism flyer (iii) an Anti-Racism firm called “Just Ignore It”. The vision of the campaign team is to build an inclusive society where every child regardless of their race can thrive and reach their full potential.
The young people wanted to make something that gave a positive message, empowered people to challenge racism, and brought people together. They wanted to make a difference and the film is full of tips and advice on how to challenge racism safely. Both in the classroom and in the wider world. They want teachers, schools, pupils, and students to watch the film and make it a part of conversations about racism.
Click here to join the Anti-Racism campaign…. (include form)

Research & Evidence generation

We carry out applied health research to solve practical problems in the community we serve. We conduct our research and partner with universities and corporate organisations to develop research opportunities that will address knowledge gaps and promote funding of services that are currently absent in this community.
We actively engage in knowledge exchange activities to share information, expertise, and resources among individuals, institutions, and communities to foster learning, collaboration, and the creation of new knowledge.