EY Outreach – EY

About this project

Whilst working as an apprentice for EY, Yeshua Carter, now a Consultant at Ernst and Young (EY) set up EY Outreach, alongside West Midlands Police. EY Outreach is an intervention and prevention programme, which focuses on supporting at risk young people out of/away from the school to prison pipeline. The programme was launched in collaboration with West Midlands Police, Birmingham’s Grove Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) and other stakeholders and focuses on reducing youth violence, reoffending and helping marginalised young people to return to mainstream education. It intends to help vulnerable young people develop their self-belief and self-confidence through mentoring, coaching and creative work. As part of the programme, young people between the ages of 11-16 are coached by a Young Future Leader with a history of similar life experiences, and an EY Professional, who will help them to reflect and develop a persona development plan, and guide them to support services. This is delivered in combination with a 7-week creative intervention programme, which is interspersed with employment skills, mental wellbeing support and ‘dangers of crime’ focused curricula. The programme has had a positive impact on the young people who have been through it, sparking behaviour improvement and reintegration into mainstream school, and helping young people to identif and pursue future career opportunities e.g. in coaching or acting. This is followed by six months of coaching, with their mentor and a coach from EY. Six out of ten pupils are now attending other support programmes. Due to the success of the programme remit of this youth engagement programme is now broadening to other at-risk groups. A number of national/local authorities and public sector organisations are now involved in the programme, including the Government of Jersey, West Midlands Police, Birmingham City Council and HMP Brinsford. These organisations are all using EY Outreaches model to meet the needs of young people within the school to prison pipeline. EY Outreach has also gained international validation from the US Embassy, who have expressed a keen interest in the programme.

Who is doing this