Project UpRising
Funding UpRising was launched with a three-year, £200,000 grant from the Department for Communities and Local Government's Empowerment Fund plus funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, JP Morgan and Vinvolved. Ongoing funding comes from a variety of foundations, corporate sponsorship and donations
Purpose To nurture young people to become leaders
Background UpRising is a leadership development programme for talented 19- to 25-year-olds, which aims to encourage participants to make a positive difference to society at the same time as boosting their skills and confidence. The concept was developed by the Young Foundation after the 2001 Oldham race riots in an effort to address a "democratic deficit" for young people, explains UpRising director Alveena Malik. "Many young people from disadvantaged, marginalised and minority backgrounds didn't have opportunities to become leaders," she says.
Action 2008 saw the launch of the first UpRising programme, working with 50 young people from the London boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Barking & Dagenham and Newham. The year-long scheme includes monthly learning sessions with high-profile leaders from the public, private and voluntary sectors sharing their experiences and giving advice. Young people also visit major institutions such as the BBC and Houses of Parliament, and get regular one-to-one mentoring sessions. Participants organised in teams of five or six run campaigns to tackle issues in their local communities and "give something back", says Malik. "An important aspect is the fact we don't target any one group so we're bringing together a really diverse mix of young people," she says. UpRising has worked with more than 200 young adults in east London and has since launched in Birmingham and Bedford.
Outcome An independent evaluation by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations looked at the first two years of the scheme and concluded it had a "significant, positive impact". Fifty-three per cent of participants secured volunteering or employment opportunities during the programme and half said that these were a direct result of UpRising. Ninety-nine per cent said they had a made a valuable network of contacts, 97 per cent reported improved leadership skills and 80 per cent reported a significant increase in confidence. Eighty-seven per cent recognised themselves as leaders - on entering the programme only 55 per cent saw themselves in that way - and 95 per cent believed they now had the power and skills to change issues affecting them and their local community. Seventy-nine per cent were actively contributing to their local communities or trying to influence social change compared to 33 per cent before UpRising.
If you think your project or programme is worthy of inclusion, email data to ravi.chandiramani@markallengroup.com
