As part of its Let’s Colour programme, Dulux piloted a scheme with outdoor educational charity, The Outward Bound Trust to immerse a group of young people in the wild to help develop their confidence and leadership skills.
In an extension of Dulux’s powerful and lifechanging Let’s Colour programme, which connects supporting young people with transforming rundown community spaces, Dulux piloted a new initiative with long-term partner The Outward Bound Trust. The mission: to shape their attitudes, skills and behaviours to make them want to make positive changes in their lives.
Dulux understands young people benefit from both practical and emotional experiences. So, while the project they run in conjunction with Volunteer It Yourself (VIY) supports upskilling through community renovation projects, it is also essential young people live experiences that build their confidence in other ways.
“We have worked with the Outward Bound Trust (OBT) for nearly 15 years,” says Dulux Senior Brand Manager for CSR Alison Furness. “Through their outdoor educational programmes, Dulux has helped thousands of young people challenge themselves and grow in confidence.”
The latest programme, five days of navigating wild Lake District waterways, gorge walking and canoeing, pushed two young people from VIY to learn about challenges, defying limitations, and supporting one another.
“Our partnership with VIY supports the next generation of the construction industry to achieve trade skills and accreditations,” continues Alison. “We have combined the skills of our Let’s Colour partners and enabled VIY cohorts to go on an OBT programme.”
The five-day immersive experience allowed the young people to use the practical skills they’ve built from previous Let’s Colour training days, such as the recent renovation of Camden Town’s legendary music venue the Dublin Castle.
Such initiatives are aimed at those not in education, employment, training or at risk of disengagement, VIY’s COO and Co-Founder Ed Sellwood explains. “The opportunity for young people to volunteer and build hands-on construction skills on a project in their community, guided by the knowledge and experience of local tradespeople, is priceless,” he continues. “It’s often the practical experience, a chance to meet new people and engage with employers that they may not gain elsewhere.”
The OBT experience was a shining example of an opportunity some young people would not likely gain elsewhere. Its prime focus was to show the young people taking part that there is a wider world beyond their own, full of opportunities to build their emotional intelligence alongside the practical skills they gain through Let’s Colour and VIY.
But the practical experiences still matter and are designed to build young people towards a brighter future. Working on and helping to restore rundown community assets not only teaches skills, but also shows the young people volunteering that they can make a difference.
“The projects our young people volunteer to support are valued places in their local area, in need of renovations to help them thrive, and are often spaces they may well use and benefit from once they’ve helped improved them, like a youth centre or local sports club,” Ed says.
“Taking pride in helping their local community is often a driving factor in joining a project, and can instil a sense of citizenship, social action and purpose from a young age, that they can take with them on the next step of their journey.”
However, it’s not just the young people volunteering who learn from the renovation projects or OBT adventure weeks. Those who organise and support the initiatives and projects also benefit.
Ed explains: “We know from the youth organisations we partner with, and through widespread media coverage, how hard the past couple of years during the pandemic have been, particularly on the groups of vulnerable young people we work with. Reengaging with society, with the outside world and putting themselves into unfamiliar situations again has not been easy.
“The young people involved in this partnership programme between Dulux and the Outward Bound Trust have shown such strength and resilience in putting themselves out of their comfort zones, in ways and places they could never have imagined before this trip. They are a testament to their generation and we are full of admiration for them, and for the next step they’ll take following this experience.”
17 май 2022
