Inspiring the next generation

We believe our role goes beyond housing and are committed to supporting young people to develop confidence, aspirations and life skills. We're proud to partnership with Positive Footprints to enable us to invest in the future of our communities.

Over the last year, our partnership has supported hundreds of primary school children across our communities, helping them discover new opportunities, explore future careers and believe in their own potential.

Many children grow up without access to the experiences, role models or career guidance that can help them imagine what their future could look like. Through Positive Footprints' award-winning programmes, we are helping to change that by introducing pupils aged 8 to 11 to a wide range of careers, while building important skills such as communication, leadership, resilience and confidence.

During 2025-26, we engaged 327 children across eight primary schools, delivering more than 100 hours of learning focused on aspirations, skills and careers. The programme has generated an estimated £66,000 in social value, creating positive benefits for young people, families and local communities.

This forms part of our ongoing work with Positive Footprints, which has now reached more than 1,000 children across 12 schools, creating over £175,000 in social value.

Throughout the year, children met volunteers from a variety of sectors including housing, engineering, technology, media, construction, legal services and public services. These real-life conversations help young people understand the many paths available to them and challenge stereotypes about who can succeed in different careers.

Click here to watch and find out more about our partnership with Positive Footprints.

Research shows that children begin forming ideas about their future from an early age, and access to positive experiences can have a lasting impact on their confidence, ambitions and life chances.

By investing in programmes like this, we're helping children to:

• Understand the opportunities available to them in the future.
• Develop skills that will support them in education, employment and everyday life.
• Meet positive role models from different backgrounds and professions.
• Build confidence and believe that their goals are achievable.

The impact is already clear. Following participation in the programme, the number of children with clear career ideas increased from 43% to 85%, while those who felt hopeful about their future and believed they could make a positive difference in the world rose from 40% to 86%.

By working alongside Positive Footprints, schools and volunteers, we're helping create opportunities for children to dream bigger, aim higher and build the foundations for a successful future. We look forward to continuing this work and making an even greater difference in the years ahead.