EMR partnered with youth charity, Blackburn Youth Zone in March 2020 and donated £1,000 towards its skills programme.
Blackburn Youth Zone offers support and activities to over a thousand young people a week, ranging from 5 to 19 years-old (and up to the age of 21 for those with additional needs) and provides a safe place for young people when they are not at school.
Improving the career prospects for local young people, Blackburn Youth Zone has used the donation from EMR to teach employability skills, such as digital coding, to those less likely to have access to job opportunities.
Julia Wright, Head of Fundraising at Blackburn Youth Zone, said:
EMR's donation has had a big impact here: it's been spent helping a number of young people who are at risk of becoming NEET [Not in Employment, Education or Training] to gain valuable skills.
We are now connecting these young people with local employers and hope that some of them will go on to find work or training opportunities as a result of EMR's donation.
Thanks to the Big Give scheme – a nationwide match funding platform that helps charities to multiply their impact – the funds EMR donated were doubled.
Julia adds,
Because EMR decided to donate through the Big Give scheme, this means their donation was doubled and has made twice the impact. I'd like to say a huge thank you to EMR for supporting local young people; it means a great deal to us.
