Say Yes! Campaign.
The Grafton Shopping Centre is proud to be involved in another project involving local schools and Crime Concern. It is an exciting social enterprise project allowing young people to devise creative solutions to anti-social behaviour. The project is looking for four more business mentors to help make the project a huge success.
Mentors are required to offer advice by email, and provide support to their student groups – as well as meet with them at some point over the 12 week project period for a short time. Mentors can become as involved as they want to, and previous participants have found the experience not only rewarding, but also a real eye opener to the ‘perception’ of the youth community and what actually are the real issues in local communities.
More than 50 pupils from Coleridge Community College will work in small groups and form ‘companies’ with a mentor volunteer from local businesses, guiding them through the stages and helping with creative ideas.
Cambridge based Marshalls is involved and supporting the initiative by providing a venue for the launch event in February 2008, and the finals presentation ceremony in late Spring. Some of its employees have also volunteered as mentors. Genzyme is also involved, helping with the project considerably and providing a number of mentors.
Cambridge Police back the project, as they’ve done before, and the ideas that are being developed are all addressing the local ‘key anti behaviour issues’ highlighted by residents, the council and school children.
Previous ‘Pru 4 Youth’ schemes have won awards, and have been used as pilot schemes throughout the UK, many of which have actually been deployed by the associated local councils.
Interested mentors are welcome at the launch event to find out more ahead of any commitment, and mentor training is provided.
For more information or to become a mentor – please contact Sarah-Jane on 0773 049 4154 or sj@sjpr.co.uk or email Lisa Huggins, Project Manager at Lisa.Huggins@prupim.com