Big
Change
Big Change is a charity with a big ambition. The team there are carrying out vital work that will leave a lasting impact on the way future generations are educated. They want to make sure school is not just about exams, but that it prepares young people for the workplace and life more broadly.
The team at Big Change are committed to radical thinking. They don’t simply want to see ideas that will make small changes; they want ideas that will change mindsets. Big Change supports projects that do three things.
Firstly, they work to give young people the skills they need to believe in themselves and drive change in society. They backed Voice 21, an organisation committed to embedding speaking skills in schools, to ensure that those skills are valued as much as literacy and numeracy. It is this area of oracy-related projects that the Rumi Foundation has actively supported. We are determined to see young people have the verbal skills they need to get on in the workplace, and in life more generally. Voice 21 has been able to:
Develop an online learning platform accessible by over 1,500 teachers and school teachers;
Train over 600 teachers and design an accredited oracy leaders programme;
Conduct research to help build the case for change.
Elsewhere, Big Change are committed to helping young people access the opportunities they need to develop in life. Big Change support the National Citizen Service, which provides 15-17 year-olds with the means to take on new challenges and learn new skills.
Thirdly, they create environments where change is possible. Through their support of the care charity Frontline, Big Change are changing the perception of the care industry, designing campaigns with the aim of attracting the very best and brightest graduate talent to an exciting and challenging career.
Diversity and ambition is key at Big Change. They back a range of projects, focused on changing the structure of the system for young people. The Rumi Foundation is pleased to support this oracy related project. It’s an outcome-orientated, big thinking charity, working to provide young people with a space to think, innovate and grow.
