Future First Global launches to help transition from school to work

Teachers and learning

By Emily Laurie, Managing Director of Future First Global

Over the last couple of years I have been lucky enough to work with some incredible young advocates and campaigners who are working tirelessly to get all children into school and learning.

At the moment they are leading the way for A World At School to make the #UpForSchool Petition in support of education! the biggest ever petition.

I have learned the best way to help young people is to listen to them. I know that sounds obvious but it doesn’t happen as much as it should. One thing that came up again and again is young people’s concern that their education is not preparing them to get a job. This is a legitimate concern.

A few weeks ago a new coalition was launched by the World Bank, Plan International and Accenture to find Solutions for Youth Employment. There are currently 75 million young people around the world who are unemployed and millions more who are underemployed. A central part to the solution is finding ways to make sure young people are learning the skills they need for work, while they are at school.

And more than that, they need the inspiration, contacts and experience in the workplace to successfully make the transition from school to work. Our new charity, Future First Global, is here to help with this transition.

We believe that any school, anywhere, should be investing in making the most out of their former students. Alumni can have a transformational impact on the learning experience of students and their ability to make a smooth transition to employment. We have found there is an untapped desire of people to do more to support their former schools.

Our global research showed that while only 2% of alumni had engaged with their former schools, over 50% would be willing to do so if asked.

Emily Laurie at the WISE 2014 Summit today in Doha, Qatar

Our new report – Every School a Community: The Role of Alumni in Supporting the Transition from School to Work – sets out the extent and global potential of alumni networks to give back to their schools. Would you give back? If you knew the students at your old school were sharing a handful of computers would you help fund a new computer? If you knew girls at your former school were interested in your career would you talk to them about it? If a student wanted to ask about how you chose your degree would you tell them?

Earlier this year millions told the story of why they are where they are #becauseofschool. We all owe so much to our education and thus our schools. At Future First Global we believe we can unleash the potential of this connection we feel with our former schools and we believe this will transform young people’s lives around the world and help them get an education which will prepare them for the job, and life, they want. We launch today to deliver on this belief.

Check out our website to see how you can get involved or if you are at the WISE 2014 Summit in Qatar join our session today at 11am.

And help us launch by sharing online. Here are two tweets you can send:

Welcome @futurefirstint! Launching to build school alumni networks to improve school to work transition globally futurefirstglobal.org

What would you #giveback as an #alumni to your school? Tweet/instagram us @futurefirstint and tell us!

Emily is the Managing Director of Future First Global, a new global charity looking to transform the school-to-work transition for millions of young people worldwide over the next decade. Emily was previously Global Advocacy Manager for Plan International’s Because I am a Girl campaign. During this time Emily took a secondment as Special Adviser to Gordon Brown in his role as the UN Special Envoy for Global Education. This included playing a leading role in the first youth takeover of the United Nations on Malala Day.


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