As a professional services firm our people are our biggest asset. We are always keen to use our people’s skills when volunteering. This is why we choose to work with organisations that need those skills to support young people in becoming ‘work ready’.
Envision does just that: they develop young people’s employability by empowering them to tackle real life social problems. Along the way, they need business mentors who can help these young people develop their team working, presentation, communication and leadership skills. We have been working with Envision for the past four years and are currently supporting two Year 10 teams at our partner school Fairfield High. One team is passionate about alleviating homelessness, the other one is regenerating a run-down area of Bristol, which is part of the students’ walk to school.
Both teams have worked very hard to develop their projects and have come a long way from the shy and quiet students they were at the beginning of the school year. Thanks to Envision’s programme co-ordinator and the business mentors, the students have been confident enough to present in front of a panel of ‘Dragons’ to receive the funding for their project and to see it through to completion.
Alice Young, Envision’s regional manager says:
"Meaningful business engagement is essential in order to level the playing field for Bristol’s less advantaged young people. Confidence, character and connections are what every young person needs in order to achieve their potential; however experts appreciate factors like socio-economic status affects a young person’s opportunities. That’s where Envision’s business mentoring can prove a game-changer; breaking down the barriers to workplace, raising aspirations and providing positive encouragement to build young people’s confidence. Burges Salmon’s enthusiasm and commitment to mentoring over the years has proven the importance business mentoring plays in giving young people a brighter future.”
Emma Andrews, senior associate at Burges Salmon, says:
"It has been really inspiring to see how passionate the students are about addressing some really challenging local issues and making a positive impact in their local community. It has been a pleasure to work with them, both to develop key skills for the world of work (including teamwork, communication and problem solving) and to instil confidence and resilience in their approach to the different elements of the programme."
Catherine Correia
CR Manager