Resurgo is excited to be welcoming local young people to the Spear Programme in two new cities: Gateshead and Hastings.
Delivered in partnership with Alive Church and Holy Trinity Hastings respectively, Spear aims to support unemployed 16-24-year-olds to overcome the challenges they face and be equipped with the skills and mindset they need to thrive in employment.
The number of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) in the UK is on an upwards trajectory, and is now estimated to stand at 872,000*. Resurgo is committed to meeting this increasing need, and excited that launching in Gateshead and Hastings serves as a demonstration of growing geographical reach across the country, taking the total number of Spear Centres to 17.
Spear Gateshead marks the northernmost reach of the Spear Programme to date. Its location in the north-east of England places it in the region of the country recently reporting the highest rate of NEETs, at 15%**.
Natalie Robson, Social Transformation Lead at Alive Church, says:
“Gateshead is a great place, but also has its challenges. Alive Church sits in an area that’s within the top 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. That means young people don’t have the same outcomes as others within the UK and within England. There’s a high proportion of families … who need additional support just to get by.
We’re really excited by the potential of working with 60 young people each year. Empowering [them] to get into work, then has an impact on many generations. … We’re not interested in sticking plaster approaches that support people for a few weeks into employment, but are hoping to see generational change.”
Rich Grant, Church Leader at Alive Church, adds:
“1 in 5 young people in Gateshead are not in education, employment or training. At Alive Church, we want to do something about that – for them to be reached, invested in, and to step up to what they’re called to. We’re so excited to launch Spear Gateshead today, for the potential it has for our young people and all of the change that we might see through it.”
Ness Morse, Spear Hastings Centre Manager, says:
“We’re excited to be launching Spear in Hastings, a partnership between Resurgo and HTH Church. Resurgo has such a strong track record of helping young people get into work, and this is a welcome addition to the multiple community programmes HTH Church is already undertaking in Hastings town centre. Unemployment is a significant issue in Hastings and one which particularly affects young people here. We’re looking forward to supporting 16-24 year olds to overcome the barriers they are facing, get into work and move forwards confidently.”
Both Spear Gateshead and Spear Hastings will be delivering Resurgo’s streamlined version of Spear, designed to make the programme more accessible to a wider spectrum of partners, and in turn young people who may otherwise not be able to access the support they need.
Young people will receive four weeks of in-depth employment coaching, focussing on practical skills such as interview preparation and CV writing, as well as transformative coaching around mindset and attitude. This is followed by a further six months of personalised follow-on support.
NOTES:
The Spear Programme is an award-winning initiative of Resurgo delivered by 17 local partners across the UK. Find out more here.