inside FEATURES


Giving youngsters the help they need


By Poku Osei (pictured), CEO of Babbasa


Supporting disadvantaged young people into work is a varied and at times complex task, and because of this, it is vital that we have a strong understanding of why we are supporting young people, before we look at how we can support them. At Babbasa, we have two strong


beliefs which underpin the work that we do with young people. The first is that young people’s aspirations and opportunities should not be determined by their background. The second is that every young person has a unique skill or talent which, if explored and nurtured, can advance humanity in a significant way. Because of this,


& TRAINING SKILLS


‘The needs


when we engage with a young person for the first time, it is important for us to get to know them so that we can understand what their individual needs are. We do this by asking about their background, finding out what their strengths and their passions are, and also how they like to learn. We can then gain an understanding of what goals we can help this young person to achieve, the barriers they may be facing, and the best ways to teach the key skills they need to thrive. The needs of every young


of every young person are very different’


Babbasa is a member of the Bristol Initiative


certain skills and knowledge that others can take for granted. The support


we offer is then leaning


person are very different, and because of this, some people will require more support than others. For example, some young people who have more complex needs such as health problems or a very deprived socio-economic background will need more one-to- one support and guidance. At the other end of the scale,


some young people may already have a lot of ambition, and a strong sense of purpose, but because they come from a low-income or single- parent household, they are lacking


20 insight JULY/AUGUST 2019


more towards offering networking opportunities to develop their business contacts, and building their work portfolio. However, there are some elements of training that can be used to benefit all young people, regardless of the stage they are at. We like to make sure that every young person has the chance to develop some soft skills like problem solving, confidence, communication and leadership. This is because these skills transcend any particular industry. Part of supporting a disadvantaged young person into work also means making sure you are a separate and distinguishable entity from what is already available to them. For us, that means establishing ourselves as a third pillar, outside of home and school, that helps them to achieve their goals. The majority of young people have had the chance to learn through textbooks, and have


been offered some support at home, but they are often not given the chance to build their soft skills and gain experience. This is why the ‘Babbasa way’


when it comes to training, is to learn by doing. Experience is at the heart of our approach, and we believe it is the best way for people to properly consume information. Using experience as a core


element of training is particularly important because we work with such a diverse group of people. The way people consume information across cultural lines can differ, but experience is the universal way of helping someone to understand what they are being taught. Offering a different experience


to a school environment also means that we offer a different relationship between teachers and students. Some young people may feel that their confidence has been knocked, or they have not been able to thrive because of the sit- and-listen style of learning that most schools employ. It is vital that we involve young people by tailoring how they learn, to how they like to learn.


As we move towards the later


stages of supporting a young person into work, we start to offer services like mentoring, networking, and work placements. Where we can, it is important that young people are able to see first- hand how someone has managed to take the steps that they are hoping to take. A mentor is able to pass down their knowledge and experience, and in some cases can offer them shadowing opportunities. Work placements and networking are then about building a strong portfolio that makes a young person’s CV stand out to employers, giving them the experience and the confidence of having worked in their industry, and giving them a strong network of business contacts that can help find opportunities that they may never have found by themselves.


Babbasa is hoping to raise £29,000 to build a new community hub in inner city Bristol. Visit: www.babbasa.com/ babbasahub


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