We believe people who face barriers to work have skills and ideas that can be unlocked to the benefit of community. Forward is work-based training project helping people with convictions to feel part of community again, understand the value of their skills and believe in their capacity to work.
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In 2018, after delivering short courses in neighbourhoods for a couple of years, the team got talking to people with convictions. Pruning trees and picking litter whilst on community service, we learnt their offences were just the tip of the iceberg. They were estranged from family, faced long-term unemployment, isolation and poor mental health. They sought a sense of routine and to feel a valuable part of community again.
In response we launched our Hub. We believe our approach of blurring the lines between social action and work-based training is an effective mechanism - to not only support people into work - but also to strengthen and re-unify communities where many feel estranged by their past. Forward offers people with convictions accredited 4 week programmes of training in kitchen, garden and workshop environments in mixed groups of age, background and life experience- community building from day one.