What We Do – Youth Aspire Connect

Aspire to achieve

a. We INSPIRE young people to strive for excellence in their education and career through tailored career talks, and trips to prestigious universities and top companies in the UK. On a quarterly basis, we organise career talks and youth conferences to equip young people with the knowledge, skills, and strategies to overcome academic challenges and live their dreams. Our personal development programmes are designed to inspire young people to be agents of change in their own lives and become the next generation of young leaders.

b. STEM Pro: We promote and support young people from underrepresented communities into STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). We take them to events such as the Big Bang or local science festivals. People from Black backgrounds in STEM higher education in the UK have poorer degree outcomes and lower rates of academic career progression than other ethnic groups.

In 2017/18, the non-completion rate among Black STEM undergraduates was 4.7% and 6.3% among postgraduates. This is significantly high when compared to undergraduate and postgraduate dropout rates of 2.9% and 4.4%, respectively, for Asian students and 2.7% and 3.8%, respectively, for White students.

Employability & life skill development

a. We EMPOWER young people through our employability and skills development training to build their confidence and help them transition to paid employment. We provide training on core employability and life skills to equip young people for the future workforce. Here are the nine skill areas we cover:

b. Mentorship

We run weekly 1-2-1 or group career and mentorship sessions to advise and support young people on career choices and university degree options. We run drop-in sessions and provide support with CV writing, personal statements, and cover letters.

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.

Research & Data Hub

We carry out applied research to solve practical problems in the community we serve. We conduct our own research and partner with universities and corporate organisations to develop research opportunities which will address knowledge gaps and promote funding of services which are currently absent in this community.

Current Project

Ideas Fund project:

We are among the 28 organisations out of 129 shortlisted through Round 2 of The Ideas Fund. We shall be partnering with Researchers at the University of Hull and the London South Bank University to develop strategies to improve the mental health and wellbeing of young people.

The Ideas Fund is delivered by the British Science Association (BSA) and funded by Wellcome.

If you are interested in partnering with our research team, please get in touch and let us know how we can partner with you.

our strategy

Stay Running & Protected

Since 2007 we have been a visionary and a reliable software engineering partner for world-class brands. We are a boutique digital transformation consultancy and software development company that provides cutting edge engineering solutions.