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Take a Virtual TourNovartis UK, a pharmaceutical healthcare company, has today announced that OnSide will be one of their chosen ‘charities of the year’.
The company will provide financial support to two new Youth Zones in White City, West London (West Youth Zone) and Grimsby (Horizon Youth Zone). In addition staff from across the business will each be allocated eight hours a year to volunteer within the Youth Zones once open. Novartis’ employees will share their knowledge and expertise with young people, offering a range of support including mentoring, career guidance and CV workshops.
White City and Grimsby were chosen by Novartis as their Head Office is located in White City next to West Youth Zone and they have a large operational site that has been running in Grimsby for over 70 years.
We are one of three charities who will be supported by Novartis this year, as the company looks to partner with those who are working to improve social mobility across the UK. Ourselves, Founders4Schools and Social Mobility Foundation all aim to create better opportunities for young people irrespective of their social backgrounds, something which continues to be a key issue in the UK.
Novartis’ support means that both Youth Zones are one step closer to opening and young people have more opportunities to gain new skills and mentoring support from professionals in the private sector. Izzy Russell, former Horizon Youth Zone Young People’s Development Group (YPDG) member now trainee youth worker for us at OnSide, was invited to attend and speak at Norvartis’ recent community partnership day where she shared her story. Izzy opened up about her experiences on the YPDG and how the opportunities she has been given have changed her life, giving Novartis staff an invaluable insight into the potential impact of the Youth Zones they will be supporting.
You can hear Izzy’s interview here.
Kathryn Morley, Chief Executive at OnSide, said,
“Social mobility is at the heart of what Youth Zones do across the country. Youth Zones play a transformative role in helping thousands of young people from diverse backgrounds achieve their full potential and defy social limitations. We’re so grateful for this support from Novartis to help us provide life-changing opportunities for even more young people, in two new areas – West London and Grimsby.”
Chinmay Bhatt, Country President at Novartis UK, commented,
“I am proud we are partnering with these brilliant charities, and I was honoured to recently meet them to discuss how we can be the best possible partner for progress in social mobility. I am determined to be a champion for this important topic, having the difficult conversations and asking the tricky questions when necessary.”
Our Grimsby (Horizon) and West London (WEST) Youth Zones are currently at different stages of development, to get the latest updates please visit: