ThinkForward is a charity that works to empower young people in the UK through long-term coaching. We equip young people with the skills and experience they need to move into work or further education after they finish school.
Everything we do is centred around giving young people the autonomy and confidence they need to be successful so that they have control over their own lives and futures. Our coaches are embedded in schools or the local community and provide one-to-one and group coaching to the young people on our programmes.
Young people develop the skills they need, are supported to overcome the barriers they face and take part in employability activities to broaden their horizons and provide experience of the workplace.
Our programmes
Our FutureMe programme works with young people who face challenges on their path to success to get them ready for the world of work in London, Nottingham and Kent.
The Making Strides programme adapts this model and works with young people from London and the West Midlands who have mild to moderate learning disabilities with the aim of supporting them into sustainable paid employment.
Our Future Leaders programme works with black students in London who have been excluded or are at risk of being excluded from mainstream school.
The need
The transition from school to the ‘real world’ is not always easy. Young people can lack insight into the reality of working life and what options are available to them. Many also face a variety of challenges, often overlapping, that can prevent them from getting the most out of their education and taking the next step successfully.
In the UK, 771,000 young people are not in education, employment or training (NEET), representing 11.2% of 16-24 year-olds.1 Young people receiving free school meals are twice as likely to be NEET.2 ThinkForward programmes are unique in that they intervene early and take a long-term approach to supporting young people.
“I wouldn’t change anything about my time with ThinkForward because it’s made me who I am today. Joining the programme opened my eyes and made me aware of my capabilities. It’s probably the best decision I’ve made because ThinkForward helped me more than I could ever imagine and now I feel ready for the next stage of my life.”
– Yasin, Alumni, London
