A charity has issued an urgent call to the business community in North Wales to give young people a route into work.<\/p>\n
WeMindThe Gap is calling on employers to back a major drive to create 10,000 meaningful connections for young people who are struggling to access jobs, training and wider opportunities.<\/p>\n
CEO Ali Wheeler won strong support after using Wrexham Business Professionals\u2019 Christmas dinner at the city\u2019s Ramada Hotel to urge business leaders to open doors for the next generation.<\/p>\n
The group is made up of successful businesses and skilled professionals working together to promote regional prosperity and shine a light on the enterprise and expertise that exists in the region<\/p>\n
Ms Wheeler outlined how the campaign relies on firms offering guidance, contacts and real-world insight \u2013 support she says can transform a young person\u2019s prospects.<\/p>\n
She was heartened that many of the 100-plus business owners and managers present signalled their desire to learn more about the charity\u2019s work and inquired if there were any other ways they could help.<\/p>\n
In addition, the charity\u2019s funds received a bumper boost when a raffle held during the evening raised \u00a31,100 for the WeMindTheGap cause.<\/p>\n
According to Ms Wheeler, the need was greater than ever, as more and more young people feel they are being left on the sidelines of society.<\/p>\n
WeMindTheGap\u2019s The Power of 10,000 campaign aims to create 10,000 meaningful connections \u2013 personal and professional \u2013 for young people lacking the real-life networks that often lead to opportunity.<\/p>\n
It would mean young people, who may feel alone or isolated, would always have a knowledgeable, experienced and professional pool of contacts to turn to for impartial but informed mentoring and support.<\/p>\n
The network of connections would be available to help young people realise how valuable their contribution is in society, to improve their confidence, self-esteem and sense of independence.<\/p>\n
The mentors could advise on educational choices, work experience, career guidance, offer constructive feedback on potential business ideas, or even just offer a listening ear.<\/p>\n
Ms Wheeler said: \u201cImagine 10,000 people across Wrexham and beyond, each committing to be a connection for a young person. A mentor. A supporter. A door-opener. A trusted voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is achievable even in this room tonight. How many are here, 100, each of you knows another 10, 20, 30 people that care, who can also be a connection. You can see the numbers are adding up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnabling young people to make such connections changes their lives for the better.I know this from my own career journey as a police officer, in the NHS during COVID, and now leading a social mobility charity.<\/p>\n
\u201cTime and again, the greatest gaps I have seen in people\u2019s lives come back to the absence of connections, support, and trusted relationships.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when those connections are present, everything changes. Young people gain confidence, skills, and resilience. They begin to see a future they can believe in.\u201d<\/p>\n
The charity\u2019s research over recent years has revealed that even before the COVID pandemic an alarming percentage of young people were struggling with the challenges of new technologies and changing societal structure.<\/p>\n
But since COVID and its associated lockdowns the problems have got worse. Nearly half the young people surveyed by the charity indicated that they felt more anxious, lacking direction and disengaged with local communities.<\/p>\n
WeMindTheGap\u2019s goal is to address these issues through a range of inclusive programmes in North Wales and beyond \u2013 all designed to bring young people back in from the cold.<\/p>\n
The charity works across a wide age range from children as young 11, through teen years and those transitioning into careers, up to age 25.<\/p>\n
Ms Wheeler pointed to the fact that one of the charity\u2019s projects, the WeGrow employability\u00a0 programme, delivered \u00a35.5 million of social value last year, with a social return on investment of \u00a35.45 for every \u00a31 invested.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThat shows that investment in a young person\u2019s future is not charity, it is a smart investment and an investment in the success of local businesses and the economy too.\u201d<\/p>\n
By supporting the Power of 10,000 campaign employers could help transform the lives of more than 1,700 young people in Wrexham who are not in employment, education or training.<\/p>\n
Ms Wheeler added: \u201cTonight we can change that and shine a beacon of hope on this amazing city. It is my wish that we can connect together around a purpose, to change the lives of young people who deserve more.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt WeMindTheGap we say: \u2018It takes a village to raise a child, but a system to mind their gaps.\u2019 You are that system. You are that village, that city,\u00a0 together, we can mind the gaps, grow skills,\u00a0 build connections, and build city which enables its young people to thrive\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wrexham Business Professionals committee member Ian Edwards said Ms Wheeler\u2019s talk was one of the most enthusiastically received in the organisation\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cI think it is because we all know a young person, or young people, who may have needed help at some time in our lives. We naturally want to be there for the up and coming generations and to help get them on a solid footing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung people today are facing so many challenges that we would never have imagined years ago \u2013 not just turbulent economies, but massive cultural shifts, environmental catastrophes, the onset of AI \u2013 there are so many issues they have to grapple with that it is not surprising so many just do not know where to turn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another leading member of the group, Louise Harper, added: \u201cIf we can help, even in a small way, offering an hour of our time now and then, or providing longer term mentorship, then I think it is incumbent on us to do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe simple act of making ourselves approachable, being available to talk to, passing on some of the lessons we have learned on our own journeys, could help change young people\u2019s lives. We all want to bring on the business-people and thriving communities of tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n