Tour of Parliament to Boost Aspirations

Leicester Schoolchildren Tour Parliament to Help Boost Career Aspirations

A group of pupils from 5 Leicester schools have toured London and the Houses of Parliament in a bid to help raise their life and career aspirations. 

The trip was organised by the Randal Charitable Foundation, Leicestershire Police and the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) Foundation, to help inspire underprivileged young people from across Leicestershire to gain the opportunities and motivations to reach their full potential.

The young people travelled to London by coach where lunch and a briefing was provided at the CSJ’s offices in Smith Square. They then walked along the Thames Embankment to the Houses of Parliament, where they were given a guided tour by the CSJ, supported by Leicestershire South MP and Shadow Paymaster General, Jonathan Ashworth. A sights of London bus tour followed, before travelling back to Leicester.

Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL, Chairman of Leicestershire based, Randal Charitable Foundation, who was instrumental in bringing the partners together and enabling the trip, said: “There are moments in the lives of young people which can be turning points, for good and for bad. 

“We organised this special tour to create a memorable moment in time – to share sights and scenes, which might be exciting, but also which might raise aspirations for some of the young people joining our tour. 

“Of course, a one-off trip does not in itself change lives, but it might create some curiosity about future possibilities and choices – that in itself is enormously valuable. Knowing there are choices and opportunities within reach is the first step to carving a really positive path in life.”

Following the success of the trip the partners are now looking at extending the scheme in Leicestershire, which could eventually create a national blueprint for others to follow. 

The CSJ is an independent, award-winning organisation that puts social justice at the heart of British politics. The CSJ’s vision is for those living in the poorest and most disadvantaged communities across Britain to be given every opportunity to flourish and reach their full potential.

The CSJ estimates that only 12.3% of the most disadvantaged pupils in England access full-time higher education by the age of 19, while a child from one of the UK’s poorest areas is 27 times more likely to attend a school rated ‘inadequate’ than a child in one of our wealthiest areas.

Steve Meadwell, CSJ’s Regional Manager for the Midlands, who coordinated the logistics from London and was part of the group on the day, said: “What an exceptional and inspirational day for the students. Talking to the students, most had never been to London or even out of Leicester, so to have this experience was an amazing opportunity and aspiration builder, which you could see through each student’s face, throughout the day.”

The trip would not have been possible without the expert community outreach work of Leicestershire Police, which is currently engaging Leicestershire schools with its Mini Police programme. Mini Police is an innovative and fun police engagement initiative, which is delivered in schools with the support of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) from the local neighbourhood police team.

Inspector Yakub Ismail from Leicestershire Police said: “I have been delighted to work with the Randal Foundation and Centre for Social Justice on this event to help build sustainable relationships with the schools and young people who live in East Leicester. This was a unique opportunity for young people to really see the heart of government and deepen their knowledge of government and social justice.”

For the Randal Foundation, the trip is part of a global effort to end the cycle of poverty and lack of opportunities that blights so many families and communities.

Rachael McCormack, Chief Operating Officer for the Foundation, added: “We’re a family foundation with a global reach and the futures of our young people are very important to us indeed – so we’re delighted to be supporting this partnership initiative. We hope it was an exciting and eye-opening experience for the young people from across Leicestershire, as well as being the catalyst for a wider programme of work to inspire young people across the UK.”