Hastings Direct (‘Hastings’) in partnership with LoveLocalJobs.com, launched the third Be the Change programme with Bexhill Academy this week.
120 year nine students (13/14 years old) from the local secondary school came together at the Hastings Centre to join representatives from Hastings Direct and the partnering company, to be part of thought provoking and at times emotional discussions on overcoming obstacles to positively shape and mould the students’ future. Be the Change also aims to raise the aspirations of 13/14 year olds and looks to help them remove barriers that may make them disengaged with life both in and outside of school.
Bringing their own experiences to the day by providing support and offering personal anecdotes to the students, 35 business volunteers from Hastings Direct began their journey as Be the Change Business Guides. Over the next five months, the business volunteers will meet the students to encourage their further understanding on developing life skills to take forward into work life and will give anecdotal advice and guidance on the skills and attributes that may be desirable in the working world.
Hastings Direct is the only corporate organisation sponsoring a full bespoke Be the Change programme in the UK.
Jay Wootten, Events and Community Relations Manager, Hastings Direct said; “We are incredibly proud to be part of the inspirational Be the Change programme for a third year. It was humbling to see so many students from Bexhill Academy stand in front of their peers at the launch event this week and step out of their comfort zone to examine the choices they are making and the choices they have.”
Trudy Hillman, Assistant Principle, Bexhill Academy said: “We are really excited to embark on the third year of Be the Change with Hastings Direct and LoveLocalJobs.com. The programme gives our students the opportunity to break down barriers, raise their aspirations and develop the skills and confidence to become tomorrow’s leaders within the work place. The support and experience the Hastings Direct colleagues bring as mentors is invaluable and certainly resonates with our young people.”
Speaking directly to the students throughout the launch day, Graham Moore, Co-Founder of Be the Change and humanutopia reflected; “It was an honour to launch our third Be the Change programme to the students of Bexhill Academy this week. They approached the day with respect and trust and were engaged from the first minute. They took the time to stop and reflect on their lives and futures and genuinely seized the opportunity to consider what they can do to improve their own life chances. Their maturity makes them a credit to their school and community. The business volunteers from Hastings Direct once again further enriched the experience of the students with their enthusiasm and genuine desire to support the young people.”
Rosanna Farrar, Head of Community Engagement at LoveLocalJobs.com said; “We have been running Be the Change for three years now and it was incredible to see the impact of Be the Change on this year’s Year 9 students at Bexhill High Academy. Looking around the room towards the end of the day, there was not one student who wasn't engaged, contemplating their future and considering the fact that they themselves have the power to make positive changes in order to be successful. We are over the moon to be working with our partner Hastings Direct to deliver such a powerful initiative in Bexhill.”
Hastings Direct Press Officer:
Natalie Sadlier
01424 738225
natalie.sadlier@hastingsdirect.com
About Hastings Direct
Hastings Direct is a fast growing, agile, data and digitally focused general insurance provider to the UK market, with over 2.5 million live customer policies and employing over 2,900 colleagues at sites in Bexhill, Leicester and Newmarket. Hastings Direct has built its business by providing refreshingly straightforward customer service and products and offer car, bike, van and home insurance directly to the public.
Hastings Direct is a trading name of Hastings Insurance Services Limited, the UK trading subsidiary of Hastings Group Holdings plc, which also trades via “People’s Choice” and “insurePink”.
For more information about Hastings Direct and Hastings Group please visit:
https://www.hastingsdirect.com/
https://www.hastingsplc.com/
About LoveLocalJobs.com & Be the Change
LoveLocalJobs.com has an award winning family of regional job boards in Sussex and Surrey. It works proactively to link businesses, universities, colleges and schools, public sector, charities and community groups and other organisations to create and promote local employment opportunities in the South East, whilst also providing much needed careers, information, advice and guidance to local businesses and job-seekers alike.
In 2015 LoveLocalJobs.com launched inspirational initiative Be the Change with the expertise of Graham Moore of humanutopia. Be the Change is an inspirational initiative for young people who may be disengaged with their education or lack confidence in their own abilities. The programme focuses on happiness, confidence, hope, relationships and employability and, through a series of conferences, workshops, 1:1 sessions and workplace visits, encourages students to identify their personal barriers to success, before helping them find ways of overcoming them.
Working in partnership with businesses, Be the Change helps open young people’s eyes to the world of work and the wealth of possibilities and career opportunities in their hometown and beyond. Be the Change provides the perfect opportunity for businesses to engage with their future workforce, building awareness of their employer brand amongst young people in their local area and providing an innovative way of providing fulfilling and meaningful personal development opportunities for their employees.
For more information, email BetheChange@LoveLocalJobs.com or visit http://promotions.lovelocaljobs.com/bethechange/