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The Rising Futures programme was made for students just like Jen. She was a student that felt that a part of her was missing, that key part? Confidence.
It’s difficult to convey such an abstract idea to a young person, as many adults will already know but with The Talent Toolbox, one-to-one coaching and supplementary trip days, we gave Jen all the tools she needs to meet her goal of becoming a more confident person.
The Rising Futures programme allows students like Jen to have access to some of the best coaches available. With brilliant coaches, our students can better navigate their feelings, worries and goals and come out of our programme feeling more secure in themselves.
“Before I joined the Rising Futures programme, I felt clueless because I didn’t know what I wanted to do and how to get there. I wasn’t sure about a lot of things.”
Coaching
Our programmes are six months long and are a huge commitment for both the young person and Liz, Jen’s coach. Liz was a brilliant and positive force in Jen’s life for the duration of the programme.
The value that coaches have cannot be overstated. Coaches provide young people with a point of self-reflection for themselves. These coaching sessions are pivotal for your young people and can create huge moments of realisation for young people that stick with them forever.
“It was nerve-wracking (meeting Liz for the first time), especially because one of my main goals for the programme was to improve my confidence. However, as time went on, things got easier and she was really nice and I got to enjoy talking to her more and more.”
Coaching sessions can be a bit of a shock to some young people. Many of them are not used to opening up or talking to a stranger. Jen had this to say about how she found her coaching sessions.
“It’s been fun, and it’s been great talking to someone who has more life experience than me. They’ve helped me to think more about myself than I have before. My favourite part was being able to focus on myself and not worrying about how to get there because I have someone to help me.”
An important part of Yes Futures is our ability to provide each Rising Futures student with a dedicated coach. This allows every student in the Rising Futures programme to get the attention and focus they need to get the most out of the programme. Having a familiar face to talk to every few weeks can make all the difference for students still buying into the programme.
For coaches, it’s great to be able to build a rapport with their students. The chance to see these young people come out of their shells, open up and become comfortable is an experience that cannot be bought. It’s a rewarding experience that will broaden your horizons and hopefully, leave a lasting impression.
“I feel that Rising Futures has helped me a lot more than anything else would have, because my coach has enabled me to focus on myself and she’s also focused on me, rather than a classroom of other kids.”
Trip days
Our trips are a highlight for the young people on our programmes and Jen loved them! What is incredible about Jen, is her ability to understand the scale of that operation, how valuable the trips can be but most importantly, that it’s not just about visiting a place of work or an outdoor activity centre.
To Jen, it was about using what she learned from her coach and taking the time to better her confidence, communication, resilience and self-awareness.
“They aren’t just fun trips, they make a big difference. The trips helped me focus on the 4 goals, even though they were really fun trips, we got to use those skills through interacting with different people on those trips.”
The Future
A huge part of what we do is because we want to build aspirational thinking in our young people. We want them to gain the soft skills they need to then be able to push on into further education or work
Jen has grabbed this opportunity with both hands. She has looked at the programme with a long-term view in mind, rather than looking for some kind of instant win. She knows that this is an ongoing process and things will only improve if she continues with her self-coaching journey after the programme has ended.
“I think it will impact my life by making me think of the 4 Yes Futures talents and I will continue to focus on improving those skills even after the programme is over. It’s not just a programme, it’s an opportunity for students to focus on themselves with the help of a coach. It’s not just about getting you straight into a job, it’s about giving you the tools you need for success.”
For more information on our programmes and to find out how we could support your students, please visit our Programmes page.