Who is acting collectively? | How it works | Find out more

Oxford City’s needs analysis shows transition to employment, education and training is hard especially for young people from an area of deprivation or a vulnerable group. This confirms Viva’s 2014 Doorsteps research with 50 young people in East Oxford that found common issues facing young people to be:  

• unstable family life   
• low self-esteem  
• lack of vision or aspiration for life 
• difficulty entering employment 
• household poverty  

A further focus group with young people in the project area confirmed these findings; “Young people need help thinking through what next in life, their dreams and what the options are and what’s out there.” “The time after finishing school is hard. How do I work out what to do next?”  

In response, ‘Find Your Fire’, a youth leadership development project for 14-19 year olds, was developed. The project supports vulnerable young people in East Oxford, particularly those with multiple needs.  

Who is acting collectively? 

Find Your Fire is a collaboration between Viva, St Luke’s Church, Oxford Youth Works, Donnington Doorstep and Barnardo’s.  

How it works 

The project takes a young person centric asset based approach to building aspirations and confidence by supporting young people to ‘try out their dreams’ and develop skills that will improve life chances and employability. It has been developed by young people and a partnership of local community groups deliver activities that improve young people’s soft skills, confidence and aspiration so that they can make successful transitions into adulthood. Each young person commits to one academic year of fortnightly sessions and a maximum of three away adventures. The course includes:  

• Accredited qualification: Each young person will gain a Level 1 NOCN Award in skills for employment and personal effectiveness. This bespoke practical course covers a range of transferable skills, preparing young people for the workplace including teamwork and interpersonal skills. 
• Building awareness of positive life choices, team and self-confidence. Through engaging with each other, youth workers, coaches, specialist mentors and outward bound activities, young people are exposed to a range of new opportunities and successfully complete challenges that might at first be considered too difficult.   
• Peer Education projects: In supported sessions young people practice transferrable skills by designing and developing a peer education project or enterprise that interests them and applies their knowledge such as developing an app or producing a song. Young people can work with specialists, such as musicians, as appropriate.   
• Supportive environment: Young people choose their own coach or mentor who provides a fortnightly check-in and supports the young person in any area they choose, including: confidence building, skills development, relationships or additional tutoring in Maths and English if required.  

Find out more? 

Viva’s partner network in Oxford is called Doorsteps. You can find out how you or your church can get involved on their website.

If you would like to find out more about our work in the UK, we would love to hear from you. Please contact us on (+44) 1865 811 660 or info@viva.org