St Giles has been selected as a delivery partner for Youth Futures Foundation’s Building Futures Programme, delivering early intervention mentoring for young people at increased risk of becoming not in education, employment or training (NEET).
Building Futures is designed to support young people before they reach the age at which they may become NEET, helping them stay engaged with education and improve their future opportunities.
As one of four delivery partners, alongside Premier League Foundation, Power2 and Youth Federation, St Giles will support 565 pupils in Years 8-10 through weekly one-to-one mentoring sessions with a trusted adult.
Over six months, mentors will help young people strengthen their engagement with education, raise aspirations and build confidence, while addressing challenges that may increase their vulnerability and impact their future opportunities.
An independent evaluation will provide insights into the programme’s impact, helping build the evidence base for early intervention mentoring and informing future policy and practice.
Richard Knibbs, Executive Director of Services at St Giles, said:
We are delighted to be supporting young people as part of the Building Futures Programme. It aligns brilliantly to our ethos of prevention and early intervention, alongside our commitment to guide young people towards positive opportunities. We look forward to seeing the outcomes of the evaluation in due course and will pay close attention to its findings.”
Chris Goulden, Interim Deputy CEO at Youth Futures Foundation, said:
Too many young people reach the end of secondary school without the support they need to make a successful transition into further education, training or work. Building Futures intervenes earlier, giving pupils sustained, individual support at a critical stage in their lives. By working with four experienced delivery partners and independently evaluating the programme, we will support thousands of young people while building practical evidence about how mentoring can improve engagement with education and reduce the risk of becoming NEET.”
St Giles brings extensive experience of supporting young people, having reached 80,748 children and young people through its work in schools and a further 3,450 through community-based one-to-one projects between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. Through Building Futures, St Giles will build on this experience to provide support at an earlier stage, helping pupils stay engaged with education, build confidence and develop positive aspirations for their future.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of St Giles’ work to prevent violence and exploitation among children and young people.
Further reading:
https://youthfuturesfoundation.org/what-we-do/flagship-programmes/building-futures/