This blog post is the third in a seven part series about working with young, unemployed people impacted by crime, violence and inequality. It explores how we can improve the way we support them into long-term, sustainable work or further education. We talk about the approach used in our training for work initiative, Street Elite, which has so far helped over 600 disengaged young people to find a job or place in college. It is delivered as a collaboration between The Change Foundation and the Berkeley Foundation.
This series is written by the people who deliver the youth programmes, using their direct lived experience over the last ten years as well as interviews with participants and coaches.
By Navjeet Sira, Director of Design and Impact, The Change Foundation.
Do you belong to any networks? We suspect that you could list quite a few. How much have they shaped your career or enhanced your professional progress?
We asked our Street Elite coach mentors and graduates of 2023 about networks. 63 of 151 staff and graduates responded to the survey. They describe networks as:
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A group of people who are interlinked
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Being surrounded by people who have ideas
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A purpose that connects them
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A group that works together to achieve something
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A group of people within a community
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Making links and contacts
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Potential business sponsors
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Socialising
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Maintaining and building friendships
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Getting to know different people in order to boost yourself
A very varied response. 97% of responses agreed that having a network was important, but none knew how to actually use or build it. When asked what networks they currently belong to, their responses fell into five categories: their local youth club, football club, community project, ‘don’t have one’ and Street Elite. This got us thinking about the value of building networks and how to use them effectively.
Why Are Networks So Powerful?
Thirty-one percent of job seekers find listings through professional connections, especially referrals (Job Seeker National Survey 2020). Research suggests networks can help with:
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Career advancement: A strong network can help you find new job opportunities, get referrals, and learn about industry trends.
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Personal growth: Networking can help you meet new people, learn new things, and expand your horizons.
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Support system: A network can provide you with emotional support, advice, and mentorship.
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Business development: If you own a business, networking can help you generate new leads, find partners, and grow your business.
So Where Do You Start?
It was clear from the survey that young people’s relationships with activities in their local community are their first networks (though they may not directly describe them in this way). Street Elite helps them take this to the next level and extend these local relationships to new mentors and eventually connections to employment.
In this process, Street Elite graduates have often talked about ‘code switching’ - speaking in a particular way, using particular terms, depending on who you’re addressing or interacting with (Urban Dictionary). Developing new communication and listening skills are the fundamentals of growing your network, we did learn that it can come at the expense of young people harnessing their authentic selves.
Within Street Elite, we help young people show up for themselves first: we encourage originality, embrace diverse thinking and challenge stereotypes. We believe building a network begins with self-belief, which is what so many young people are looking for.
The Power of the Street Elite Network
Street Elite provides layers of connections that young people can access to start building their own networks and also join professional networks. It is the job of our Coach Mentors to keep the momentum going of Street Elite network:
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they actively keep graduates engaged by consistently sharing new opportunities
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provide leadership and ensure regular contact is made with graduates
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secure real opportunities that they can support young people to access from the start to the end of the process
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accommodate changing aspirations and priorities, and bring new ideas to young people as they grow and develop Street Elite network.
You Can Help!
There are thousands of talented young people with diverse thinking, valuable lived experiences and a passion for change who are looking for an opportunity. Simultaneously, we know employers from a variety of industries are looking for those very people to join their teams. So, join the Street Elite network and help young people expand their professional spaces while connecting with the creativity of Gen Z and millennials.
Contact Head of Street Elite, Ross Defoe, to connect (rossdefoe@changefdn.org.uk).