Programme Manager Charlotte on the success of our Risers’ Programme

Team London, a Mayor of London initiative, funded our Risers’ Programme Cohort #5, which supports young refugees and people seeking asylum with two months work experience, training and mentoring support.

We spoke to our Programme Manager, Charlotte, about her experience of running the programme and what her hopes are for the future. 

What is the Risers’ Programme?

Alongside our Breadwinners’ Programme, we run our Risers’ Programme which offers mentoring and work experience for young people seeking asylum and refugees aged 16-24. 

The work experience involves each young person going to a London-based farmers’ market each weekend with their mentor for eight weeks. 

Each Riser has a mentor who provides individual support around education, training and employment. The mentor is responsible for supporting the young person on the markets, to work on an individual basis on pre-existing skills while supporting the development of transferable skills that they can use in the future. 

“I like having a mentor for the added help to improve and gain independence in the markets. It’s someone to talk to and improve my English with.”

How does the Risers’ Programme help young people?

This programme allows them to learn how to sell organic artisan sourdough bread as well as understand the basic principles of customer service, how to handle money and use a card machine. 

We also help our Risers develop their confidence, language and communication skills by encouraging them to speak to new people and engage in conversations that they might not usually engage with. 

“Since the start of Breadwinners, I feel more confident in group situations and in speaking up.” -Riser from Sudan

One of our Risers said that the work experience made him feel good as he gets to talk to lots of people including customers, mentors and other Risers and helps him with his English. Expanding the networks that the young people have access to is a significant part of the programme as it is directly linked to wellbeing and ensures they have access to more opportunities, a community and a multitude of potential role models. 

What were the highlights of the project?

In Week Six, the whole group went to Greenwich Market where they were tasked with setting up and closing down the market, displaying the bread and talking to customers about our work here at Breadwinners. 

What challenges did you experience and how did you overcome them?

Sometimes, we find that some young people aren’t quite ready for the programme. Perhaps they’re struggling with their ability to understand the project and in some cases it’s better for the young person to postpone taking part until they’ve resolved other issues such as housing. This means that they will then be in a better position to commit to the programme and get the most out of it. 

What do you believe is needed for young people to access volunteering opportunities?

It’s really important to us that we ensure the wellbeing of our Risers and we encourage them to talk about how they’re feeling. We believe in a fun, energetic and friendly environment to make everyone feel comfortable, relaxed and able to talk about their mental health in a safe environment. We want to ensure that work experience is casual and fun but also features important developments and serious outcomes so they feel more confident and understand the next steps.

If you want to learn more about our work, visit our work and programmes page.