Welland Park Academy students "Be the Change" with Hastings Direct for the 4th year

Hastings Direct (‘Hastings’) in partnership with LoveLocalJobs.com, launched the fourth Be the Change programme with Welland Park Academy last week.

120 year nine students (13/14 years old) from the local secondary school came together at the Stamford Court Conference venue 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, 39 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 fourth year. It was humbling to see so many students from Welland Park stand in front of their peers at the launch event and step out of their comfort zone to examine the choices they are making and the choices they have.”

Mr Collins, teacher at Welland Park Academy said: “I think if I could sum up Be the Change in one word it would be powerful. Pupils are encouraged to reflect in ways they didn’t think were possible, ways I didn’t even think were possible. To see the change in some students even after the first session was incredible. I think the most powerful part of the day was when pupils talked about being bullied and how they felt; it was even more powerful to see the bullies accepting and reflecting on their part. All in all a phenomenal day.”

Speaking directly to the students throughout the launch day, Graham Moore, Co-Founder of Be the Change reflected; “It was an honour to launch our fourth Be the Change programme to the students of Welland Park Academy. 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.”

Christina Fishlock, Event Manager at LoveLocalJobs.com said; “It was incredible to see the impact of Be the Change on this year’s Year 9 students at Welland Park 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 Leicester.”

Further information

Hastings Direct Press Officer: Natalie Sadlier
T: 01424 738225
E: 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 2.7 million live customer policies and employing over 3,400 colleagues at sites in Bexhill, Leicester and London and through homeworking. 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/

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/