Youth Achievement Foundations

The new financial climate means we are all considering how we can best adapt to the challenges ahead. One new initiative which may offer opportunities to some myplace centres comes from UK Youth in the form of Youth Achievement Foundations (YAFs).

YAFs are small independent schools that use a youth work approach to engage and deliver education to young people who do not respond to more mainstream education. There are now 12 of these Foundations offering support to those who are excluded, for whatever reason, from attending conventional schools. They are based on a pilot which has been running for seven years and has been so successful that it has twice had its curricular approach rated 'outstanding' by OFSTED.

YAFs provide a service that most education authorities need, at a cost significantly lower than most alternatives, for example at around a third less than the cost of Pupil Referral Units. Some areas lack suitable premises for YAF development, but importantly for myplace centres, YAFs operate on a sound and proven financial model that includes paying an economic rent. That means that if your myplace centre is suitable for YAF development, you could gain a useful income stream AND achieve one of the key myplace goals: to engage with hard to reach young people.

If you'd like to know more UK Youth will be arranging a series of local meetings for myplace centres to explore the YAF option. If you would like to attend one of the meetings, or want to discuss this further, please contact Jeremy Wyatt at the myplace Support Team on 0141 225 5505.

More details about YAFs can be found at http://www.ukyouth.org/YA+Foundations.