By Becca Teers
Unlimited and the Drive Forward Foundation:
helping young people unlock their full potential
£1 from every copy sold of Unlimited will go directly to Drive Forward, a charity that supports young care leavers to take charge of their futures and achieve their career goals.
Becca is passionate about helping young people and works closely with the Drive Forward team to provide support and advice to care leavers in their network.
Each year around 10,000 young people leave the care system across the UK. 40% of them will experience homelessness during the first six months of leaving care. Only 6% of them will be in higher education at the age of 18, as compared to 23% of their peers. By the age of 19, 40% of them will be NEET, meaning not in education, employment or training.
Drive Forward Foundation works with care leavers aged 16 to 26 years, aiming to break down barriers and unlock their full potential. Providing tailored 1-2-1 support, training, direct links to employers and mentoring, Drive Forward supports care leavers to develop key skills, build confidence and increase their motivation, enabling them to take charge of their futures and make their career aspirations a reality.
To make a donation directly to the charity click on the icon to the right. Every donation, no matter how big or small, makes a huge difference.
"When it comes to starting out on a career, care experienced young people have to overcome additional barriers: the lack of a supporting family, low self-esteem, trauma and financial pressure. It is important to remind them that their past need not define their future. Becca encourages people to dream and follow their passion, which is exactly what Drive Forward supports young people to do: raising aspirations and encouraging care leavers to aim higher!
"It can be very hard for young people, especially care leavers, to identify exactly what their passions and their life purpose are, which makes it even harder to choose a career path that’s right for them. Care leavers don’t have the ongoing care and support of a family, no immediate role model or person to ask for advice. The step by step exercises Becca suggests in the book can help them to really think about not only what it is they want to do, but also who they want to be! They will help them to identify and define their goals, visualise their future and take the necessary steps towards it."
– Martha Wansbrough, CEO, Drive Forward Foundation