TransformGen CIC is delighted to announce that we have been awarded £19,300 by The National Lottery Community Fund to deliver the TransformGen Future Leaders Programme in Nottingham.
DThe funding will support a nine-month youth development initiative, delivered through three 12-week cohorts and supporting up to 60 young people.
The award marks an important milestone for TransformGen CIC as we begin delivering a programme designed to help young people recognise their potential, develop their voice and build skills that can support them in their lives, communities and future opportunities.
Developing the next generation of leaders
The TransformGen Future Leaders Programme will provide young people with a supportive, inclusive and interactive environment in which they can develop personally, socially and practically.
Through structured workshops, practical activities, reflection and collaborative learning, participants will have opportunities to develop:
- confidence and self-belief
- communication and public speaking
- leadership and teamwork
- wellbeing and resilience
- employability and future-readiness
- financial awareness and budgeting skills
- personal goals and aspirations
- creativity and practical life skills
The programme is designed to go beyond simply providing information. Young people will be encouraged to participate, contribute ideas, challenge themselves, work alongside others and recognise the strengths and potential they already possess.
A programme shaped by community insight
The development of the TransformGen Future Leaders Programme has been informed by consultation with 64 respondents across Nottingham and the East Midlands.
More than 90% of respondents agreed that young people need more opportunities to develop confidence, life skills and creative skills, while 81% believed that a programme of this nature would benefit the local community.
The consultation also identified particular interest in employability skills, financial and budgeting skills, confidence building, public speaking and creative activities.
Qualitative feedback highlighted wider concerns around confidence, isolation, access to opportunities and preparation for future employment.
This feedback has directly helped to shape the programme and reinforced the need for accessible opportunities that support young people to develop both personally and practically.
Building confidence, voice and opportunity
At the heart of the TransformGen Future Leaders Programme is a simple belief: potential exists everywhere, but opportunity does not.
We want to help create more of those opportunities.
Participants will be supported to better understand their strengths, develop greater confidence in communicating their ideas, strengthen their resilience, work effectively with others and think more intentionally about their future.
Leadership within the programme is not simply about having a title or being the loudest person in the room. It is about developing self-awareness, responsibility, communication, collaboration, initiative and the confidence to make a positive contribution.
Building from the ground up
The National Lottery Community Fund award enables TransformGen CIC to establish and develop the Future Leaders Programme while learning from the young people who participate.
Throughout the nine-month initiative, we will monitor participation, attendance and feedback and evaluate the progress and experiences of participants.
This learning will help us understand what works, strengthen future delivery and build an evidence base around the difference the programme is making.
Our approach is to start well, deliver well, listen, learn, measure impact and build from evidence.
Working in partnership
Partnership will also play an important role in the development of the programme.
TransformGen CIC will be engaging with schools, colleges, universities, youth and community organisations, businesses and other partners that share an interest in creating opportunities for young people.
We are particularly interested in developing relationships that can provide young people with positive experiences, mentoring, skills development, exposure to different careers and industries, and opportunities to broaden their aspirations.
Organisations interested in supporting or partnering with the TransformGen Future Leaders Programme are encouraged to get in touch with us.
How young people can get involved
Information about registration for the first TransformGen Future Leaders Programme cohorts will be announced shortly.
Participation will be free, helping to ensure that cost does not prevent young people from accessing the opportunity.
Young people, parents and carers, schools, colleges, community organisations and referral partners are encouraged to follow TransformGen CIC for programme announcements and registration information.
This is just the beginning
For TransformGen CIC, this funding represents more than the launch of a new programme.
It represents the beginning of our ambition to create meaningful development and progression opportunities that enable young people to discover their strengths, develop their skills, find their voice and recognise what they are capable of achieving.
Our immediate priority is to deliver the TransformGen Future Leaders Programme successfully in Nottingham and learn from the young people and partners involved.
From there, we will continue to listen, learn and build.
We are extremely grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund and National Lottery players for making this work possible.
The TransformGen Future Leaders Programme is funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.