South West entrepreneur launches project to improve chances for region's young people

A new support project launched this week by a South West business entrepreneur to give all young people the chance to do well, irrespective of their beginnings. The project is called  Free To Succeedand offers 1000 chances to ambitious young people aged 14-24.

"In a fair society everybody has the right to succeed. Ability, effort and ambition should count, not the school you went to, your parents' jobs, who you know or where you live.  No one should be prevented from fulfilling their potential by the circumstances of their birth, but income and social class of parents continue to have a huge bearing on a child's chances," explains Chris Davis, the project's founder.
 

"At the moment it is incredibly difficult to improve your place in society, especially when you come from a challenging personal or social background. How free people are to improve their position in society is known as social mobility and it's not something many young people know anything about unless they are directly affected by it."
 

To improve social mobility in the UK, the Free To Succeed project is providing 1000 young people with support and assistance they would not usually have access to. It aims to help young people change their social circumstances and give them a chance to succeed by creating connections and providing opportunities outside their current social circle.

The project will initially centre on Bristol, Gloucestershire and the South West to create a sustainable legacy that can be replicated with the aim of helping thousands more people from different locations and backgrounds. Each request is an opportunity to learn more about the type of help people need to succeed and the factors holding them back.
 

The project takes a different approach to the Government's reveals Chris: "It puts the individual in control and gives young people a way to make their own personal requests for any type of help, support or assistance they need. Once a request has been made and published online it is shared with experts, professionals and organisations who make support proposals in response."
 

Social mobilty through education (High resolution image)
 

ACrowdfunder page, linked to the project, launched this week aiming to raise £6000 in 40 days to expand the Free To Succeed project across the whole region. Rewards and incentives are offered in return for support and pledges from individuals and organisations.
 

"The Crowdfunder page offers exclusive membership, marketing and promotional rewards in return for pledges of skills or support for the project. We are encouraging all individuals and companies to get involved in this project. Pledging support is a great way to show what matters to an individual or organisations. We only need a few organisations to get involved to make the project a success," Chris says.
 

Therequest and proposalprocess enables each person to build a personal support network of peers, expert, professionals and organisations they can turn to for advice, assistance, support and resources whenever they need help. This aims to directly impact the opportunities available to a young person and increases their chances of being able to improve their position in society.
 

Chris believes that improving social mobility requires people in all parts of society to play a part, and his Gloucestershire based company Add My Support Ltd already has a growing network of people and organisations prepared to offer their support and assistance.
 

Explaining why he took a user-led social networking approach Chris says: "I read aDisrupt Increport from the Royal Society that found young people have a preference for informality.  The report warned that public sector time spent in establishing formal mentorship schemes did not take into account this preference for informal support. Most young people already use social networks, so it was obvious to combine these elements to provide a way to access and request vital stepping-stone support."
 
 

To watch the Free To Succeed Crowdfunder video, or pledge to support, visit http://crowdfunder.co.uk/freetosucceed or contact chrisdavis@addmysupport.comfor more details.

ENDS

Notes to editors
 

Alternative title:

• Young people given the chance to succeed whatever their beginnings

• South West entrepreneur launches social mobility project to improve chances for young people in the UK

Press contact

Chris Davis
chrisdavis@addmysupport.com
01453 889699
07545786539

About the Free To Succeed project

• Full project name: Free To Succeed - 1000 Chances For Young People

• Project aim: To give everyone the chance to do well, irrespective of their beginnings.

• Launched: 12 August 2013

• Main link:www.crowdfunder.co.uk/freetosucceed

About Chris Davis

Chris Davis lived in Eastville, Bristol before moving to Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire with his wife and three children.

Chris Davis is the founder of Add My Support Ltd, an online marketing and networking company specialising in corporate social responsibility. He runs over 50 supportive social networks to help people whenever and wherever there is a need.

These sites connect people requesting help to individuals, experts and organisations who are able to provide assistance and support.

About Crowd Funding

Crowdfunding enables people with a great business idea to ask the general public for the funding they need to set up or expand. The business sets a target for the money it wants to raise and explains how it will use the cash. People can then make pledges for small amounts of money in return for a reward if the target is reached.

Disrupt Inc report

http://www.thersa.org/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/1052380/RSA_disrupt-inc_report.pdf