Partnership
Partners and Clients
Momentum’s programmes are all about partnership. We aim to add an extra dimension to the work of education and youth organisations, and equally we rely on these organisations to select and support the participants on our programmes. We want young people to get the most out of all kinds of positive activities and projects, regardless of who organises them. By working with like minded organisations, we can together offer a wider range of activities to a greater number of young people than we would be able to achieve working on our own.
Throughout all our programmes, we encourage participants to gain additional experience by taking part in projects and activities available through other national or international organisations (e.g. Duke of Edinburgh’s Award / International Youth Award, European Volunteering Scheme, other more localised volunteering schemes, etc).
- Richard, UK
We work with a variety of clients and partners. Our programmes are designed to support key UK policy priorities for education and youth, and to meet the needs of organisations in the public, non-governmental and private sectors with statutory obligations or professional interests in young people’s development, including:
- Secondary schools and Academies
- Sixth Form and Further Education Colleges
- Universities
- Local Authorities and agencies
- Youth organisations and groups
- Commercial companies, especially those with CSR interests in education and youth
- International organisations
We also develop strategic partnerships with other national and international organisations with a view to enabling more young people to benefit from their programmes as well as ours. In principle, any organisation in the UK or overseas, whose interests and objectives complement our own, can become our partner.
Alongside our main programmes, we occasionally run one-off international exchanges and events with various organisations and groups working with, or run by young people. We are glad to consider requests for international partnership under EU Youth in Action or similar programmes.
- Tanja, Macedonia
Working with Schools
Our Standard Programme supports the development of student leaders in years 11 and 12. When a school decides to enrol a group on our programme, we work closely with staff to ensure the selection of the most suitable young people and then to provide the continuing support and motivation needed during the programme. In particular this means ensuring that the youth and community projects within our programme are integrated with the school’s own community action or other extension activities. It is a requirement for our participants to engage other students in their projects, and to demonstrate that they are spreading the “Momentum effect” as widely as possible within the school.
All our programmes involve groups from other countries. When schools already have international links, if possible we try to enrol groups from their partner schools in the same programme. In this way we can strengthen the existing link by adding new content, as well as providing additional opportunities for students from both schools.
Young people who graduate from our Standard Programme will become committed and active alumni who continue to contribute to the life of the school during their final year and after they have left. Those who continue onto our Advanced Programme are expected to go on doing this wherever possible. We take advice from each school as to the best ways to achieve this.
The outcomes of our programmes are aligned to the Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) for 14-19 education in England (team working; independent enquiry; self-management; reflective learning; effective participation). Programme content meets the requirements of the Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) core component of the International Baccalaureate diploma curriculum; and matches the Opportunities for Personal Achievement emphasised in the Scottish schools curriculum.
We aim to achieve as much “cross-fertilisation” as possible between our programmes and the formal curriculum. Two key areas we focus on are citizenship and enterprise. Our Standard Programme carries NCFE accreditation for enterprise, and we are likely to introduce other similar qualifications in future.
We also strengthen our relationship with schools by inviting them to send staff on our courses for professionals. This is particularly appropriate for those wanting to extend their enrichment programmes, community outreach or other non-formal approaches.
- Tsvetelina, Bulgaria
Working with Youth Organisations
The government’s “Every Child Matters” agenda intends that every child, whatever their background or circumstances, should have the support they need to be healthy; stay safe; enjoy and achieve; make a positive contribution; achieve economic well-being.
Our Starter Programme contributes to these outcomes, particularly in respect of young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET). We work closely with staff of youth organisations to ensure that appropriate participants are selected and to provide the ongoing support and motivation required during – and indeed after – the programme. Where appropriate, and as funding permits, we encourage young people to continue onto our Standard Programme where the benefits will be more deeply embedded as their personal development accelerates. Youth organisations and groups are also welcome to enrol young people directly onto the Standard Programme.
Working with Universities
Our Starter and Standard Programmes help young people to expand their horizons and aspirations, develop their self confidence and sense of purpose, and set goals for the future. In many cases this will encourage them to look towards university entrance when they might otherwise not have done. We invite relevant university departments to help make this happen by contributing information and expertise, or arranging visits within our programmes. In this way our programmes support the “Aim Higher” objectives of widening access to higher education.
Even when young people have entered university, they often still lack some of the crucial skills that are needed in adult life. Our Advanced Programme develops many of these areas, such as organisation, team leadership, communication and presentation skills. Participants not only learn how to write a CV and present themselves successfully, but also build up interesting content for their CV through the dynamic experiences which our programme provides. The strong international element of our programmes also matches the interest of the many universities which are developing international dimensions of education. We therefore aim to develop relationships with both careers advice and international studies departments.
Working with Companies
Many companies are interested in supporting young people’s development and enhancing their employment prospects. By sponsoring young people on Momentum’s Advanced Programme, a company can fulfil its corporate social responsibility or other community objectives in a direct and tangible way. Every young person on the programme is expected to take the initiative to develop a relationship with the company that sponsors them, through visits, work placements, involving the company in Momentum programme events, promoting it within their local community, or in other ways. They become the company’s informal representative within our international youth network. In some cases this relationship may even result in employment opportunities for young people when they complete our programme.
Alongside their financial support for young people on our programmes, we also engage with companies by inviting them to send creative members of their staff to join our courses for professionals, which provide an unusual and highly motivating form of professional development through the experience of working with young people in an international context. This creates a more long-term, organic and mutually beneficial relationship between Momentum and other organisations.
