Through IntoUniversity, students, researchers and donors are all contributing to inspiring young people in Greater Manchester.
Find out how students, researchers and donors have come together to inspire the younger generations of Manchester Click To Tweet Discover the impact of the University's partnership with IntoUniversity, a charity that inspires young people to achieve Click To Tweet "We recognised the need for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in Manchester to aspire to and have access to higher education." Find out why donors support IntoUniversity. Click To TweetEnsuring that all young people have access to a world-class education, regardless of their background or financial circumstances, is central to so much of what The University of Manchester, and its donors, work towards.
We are now celebrating three years since the University partnered with IntoUniversity, a charity that creates local learning centres where young people are inspired to achieve. Establishing the IntoUniversity Manchester North Centre wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of our donors who made the centre a reality, as well as our wonderful staff and student volunteers who support with the delivery of the centre.
At each local centre, IntoUniversity offers an innovative programme that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to attain either a university place or another chosen aspiration. This year, IntoUniversity Manchester North received 35 volunteers and ambassadors from the University. Over the past three years the Manchester North centre has worked with over 2,000 young people to help raise their aspirations and reach their potential. Since the partnership began, 139 students have progressed from an IntoUniversity centre to study at The University of Manchester itself.
Nadia, a Psychology student at The University of Manchester, shared her experiences of volunteering as a mentor at the IntoUniversity Manchester North Centre.
“I volunteer because I really want to make sure that young people know that they have the ability to do whatever they want in their lives.
“I first learnt about IntoUniversity when they came to the University and spoke about volunteering opportunities. Their presentation on mentoring demonstrated how motivated they were to help young people, and it made me realise that this was something I wanted to go into in the future.
“My mentee is very motivated to work hard and I enjoy seeing her progression between meetings, as well as her confidence increase.
“It’s nice to be there for my mentee as someone to talk to. Speaking to her means I can understand the challenges that young people face and how they cope with them.”
Helen Grant, a PhD student also volunteers at IntoUniversity sessions.
“Working with another PhD student, Mariam Rashid, we’ve developed an interactive astrophysics workshop for Year 6 students focusing on the Solar System which we have now had the chance to share with 3 different classes from schools across Manchester.
“It’s fantastic to see the students getting interested in a topic they might not usually have the chance to study, and they are always really enthusiastic. The IntoUniversity team do a great job of organising these sessions and showing that higher education can be accessible for anyone.”
It is not just volunteers who play a key role in the work that IntoUniversity carries out. Donors have given over £600,000 in the last three years to ensure that the initiative continues to bring much-needed skills and preparation to talented young people in deprived areas of Manchester.
Cariocca Enterprises are one of the donors that has provided loyal and generous support to the IntoUniversity initiative.
“Cariocca Enterprises was established in 1986 to inspire the young black community into entrepreneurship, so participating in a person’s journey into university, where they wouldn’t normally have had the opportunity, aligns perfectly with our ethos.
“We recognised the need for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in Manchester to aspire to and have access to higher education, particularly university.
“Therefore, when we were invited by The University of Manchester to support the first centre in the area, the board didn’t hesitate to agree to our involvement.”
The support of Cariocca Enterprises and many other generous donors has brought crucial momentum to IntoUniversity and ensures that it continues to bring positive change to communities in Greater Manchester.
We’re excited to see the ongoing benefits of all the work and support provided to so many children and young people by the University, its volunteers and donors. To everyone who has contributed to this incredible work, thank you. Together, we are raising young people’s chances of progressing to university and achieving their full potential.