Events

The Dive Forward Carnival

In the future, 2020 will not only be the year a global pandemic hit our planet, but it will also be known as the ‘year of cancellations’. Causing much disappointment in each Londoner, the Notting Hill Carnival was no exception.

So, in order to not miss out on the colourful celebrations of Art, Cuisine, Fashion and Music, we decided to run our own Covid-responsible Carnival at Drive Forward. The underlying idea was to highlight each of these four aspects of culture for the young people and staff to learn about and enjoy together.

Post Lockdown Party with Breakthrough

The last few months have been an interesting time for us all. We have all had to deal with change in some shape or form. For the young people on the Breakthrough programme, this has also been their experience but amplified due to their circumstances.

As we reflect on the uncertainties we have faced as adults during the coronavirus hysteria of 2020, we can only begin to imagine what it must have been like for a child of the state to grow up during this historical time.

From independence to interdependence. Mitigating the impact of Covid-19

Partnerships with employers have always been a core part of the Drive Forward model, enabling us to provide opportunities to young adults leaving the care system which, without the usual support networks, they would otherwise not have access to. At the beginning of lockdown, as our partners postponed work placements, business prospects retreated and we heard countless reports of the impact on youth unemployment, we worried about what the future of these partnerships might hold.

Webinar: Mitigating the impact of Covid-19 on care leavers’ career prospects

Today, we’ve been joined by over 50 individuals curious to learn more about not only the impact of Covid-19 on care-experienced young peoples’ career prospects, but more importantly, about how they can make a positive difference. Our webinar is about to start! What’s the impact of #covid19 on #careleavers career prospects and how can the …

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Up Close and Personal – a new series of virtual events to foster growth and understanding

Compass and Breakthrough, Drive Forward Early Intervention programmes, launched a new online series this month called ‘Up Close and Personal’. Bringing care-experienced young people aged 13-18 and professionals with authority  in and around their lives together, the initiative aims to bust common myths that our young people may have about specific services and the people …

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Belonging in the Workplace

According to a recent report conducted by Coram Voice on challenging stigma in the care system, 1 in 10 care leavers felt that, as a care leaver, they have been treated worse than their contemporaries. This has been reflected in conversations with individuals we work with at Drive Forward, many of whom are frustrated by hearing the same negative statistics and stories in the media and by professionals working in the care system. This can have an impact on how individuals see themselves as well as how they are treated in the workplace. The most common reason that individuals who we work with leave their jobs is that they feel isolated from their colleagues, different and undervalued. 

Civil Service kick-off

We are very happy and proud that 33 young people working with Drive Forward have been successful with their applications; that represents over 20% of all the openings available! Over the next couple of weeks, they will join different Departments ranging from the Department for Education to the foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Going above and beyond

Corporate partnerships are a central pillar of the Drive Forward approach to enabling care-experienced young people to successfully move from care into a career. Over the past decade, our partners have shown an outstanding level of dedication, creativity and commitment and our network has continued to grow in strength from year to year. We’re very proud to having created a community of businesses and individuals, who all share the belief that sustainable employment, supportive working environments and a career of their own choice offer young people from care an opportunity to live up to their potential and create a fulfilled life for themselves.

A Multi-Faceted Problem requiring a multi-agency solution: decriminalising care

Addressing Criminalisation in London’s Care System from a Lived Experience Perspective at City Hall It is the morning of the first day of February 2019. It may be torrentially raining but members of the Drive Forward Policy Forum are leaving city hall feeling happy and excited. Some of them have just met with Sophie Linden …

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