The Mayor of London’s Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) and the Berkeley Foundation today hosted a graduation ceremony for local participants of the Street Elite Programme.
Street Elite is a multi-award-winning programme delivered by The Change Foundation to support young people who have been impacted by crime, violence and inequality into secure education, employment or training opportunities.
OPDC’s employment and skills service, The Forge, partnered with the Berkeley Foundation to provide a total of £46,000 to fund the Street Elite programme in West London.
It saw 15 local young men living in estates in Brent, Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham aged between 17-25 attend a 14-week academy combining sports activities, training and skills geared towards gaining work.
Participants learned how to plan and manage sports events, attending the London Sports Trust, a coaching hub which delivers sports and coaching qualifications. On 29th June the young men delivered a sports festival for school students across Ealing, held at The Green Quarter in Southall.
The graduation ceremony, held at the Grand Union, a new 3,300 home St George development in Alperton, saw the graduates were presented with certificates and congratulated by Cllr Mohammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council.
The Street Elite programme has worked with 800 people over the last 12 years. Last year the initiative achieved an 80% success rate of getting participants into employment or further education.
I met Street Elite when Dean came up to me and some of my friends at my local corner. He spoke to us about playing some football and if we were interested in work. At this point of the day, I would usually be chilling at home, playing on my PlayStation or just around the area. I went to Street Elite and I loved it, I had so much fun and met other people which helped me make more friends. I have started to become less antisocial and started going out more often. Street Elite has given me so many opportunities to learn and build my self-confidence.
I have also built a connection with Dean who was my mentor and I look up to him like an older brother. Street Elite has offered me a lot of opportunities, skills and jobs which is hard to get at the age of 17.
By supporting this exceptional Street Elite programme, we’re delighted to help the next generation of talented West Londoners to prepare for the world of work. Many have applied for careers in the sports industry and beyond. Through our employment and skills hub, the Forge and working with the Berkeley Foundation, we’re providing sustainable support for these graduates and other local young people to seize career and training opportunities and fulfil their potential.
We are incredibly proud of our collaboration with The Change Foundation and the incredible Street Elite programme. Not only does Street Elite equip young people with essential life and employment skills and opportunities to improve their wellbeing through sport, but the programme offers sustainable support well into the future through work opportunities on Berkeley’s sites.
The Forge and the Berkeley Group are doing fantastic work in our community and across West London. In just a few months, the Street Elite programme has helped 15 young people unlock their true potential, setting them up on the path to a brighter future.