Gane International .... helping to build brighter tomorrows for students with limited access to life defining opportunities with the Building Futures Project.

Hirst Park Middle school in Northumberland has been a pillar of the East Ashington Community for almost 100 years. Half of the students at the school come from the bottom 10% of the most deprived communities in the country and yet amongst these students are some of the brightest children in the classroom. Without doubt, they all have the potential to succeed and we want to help them realise that potential.

Far too often students become victims of a negative environment, which leads to a perceived lack of opportunity and therefore drives down ambition. The objective of the Building Futures Project is to offer students the opportunity to counter this cycle, thereby enabling them to achieve their full potential. This in turn will increase the chances of the students making a positive contribution to their environment and to society as a whole.

Unfortunately, within deprived communities, it is often the case that the only encouragement and direction a student will receive during their school years comes from within the school itself, and however enthusiastic that support is, there is still a very large shortfall in the funding and resources available to the school.

The school desperately wants to do more to help the students succeed in their education and give them the opportunity to access a bright and successful future. Gane International want to help the school achieve this goal.

There are three core elements to the project:

Classroom refurbishment and building reconstruction

The school was built almost 100 years ago and although the staff have done their best to maintain the fabric of the building and provide a conducive learning environment, certain parts of the building are in desperate need of attention.

In many cases, the school environment is the most secure and aesthetically pleasing space that students have access to and the complete refurbishment of a classroom will require sponsorship of as little as £2,000. Such sponsorship would require no more commitment than a visit from a representative of the sponsor to have photos taken for a press release. This type of activity would lead to a room, sponsored by your company, becoming known as the "Gane International Room" for example and we would of course welcome any additional input that the sponsor may consider appropriate.

If the complete refurbishment of a classroom is too much of a commitment then any contribution, be it in terms of money, furniture or even building materials, will be very gratefully received.

Tangible Items

This involves sponsorship or provision of items of equipment that students would use directly within their day to day learning.  For example laptops, outdoor play equipment, learning resources, text books etc... This level of sponsorship could be anything from £100 upwards and would really help children to access high quality resources.

In return for your donation, we would like to attribute the equipment to your company by means of a press release and a badge or signage attached to the item where ever possible.

Mentor and Apprenticeship Programmes

Sponsorship of an individual student could be a life changing opportunity for some young people. This level of sponsorship will be a partnership between your company and the school whereby talented youngsters who are at risk of disengaging with education are identified and given a long term life goal to aim for.

This type of programme will involve companies offering someone a future via an eventual apprenticeship which would be dependent upon certain educational milestones being achieved along the way.  This has minimal cost implications and relies more upon the pledge of employment and engagement with the young person for the duration of their education.  The engagement need not be any more than a short letter each term to show the student that you are tracking their progress.  For the student, the real possibility of employment and a career at the end of their education is a great incentive to stay engaged and work towards their goal.

If you would like to get more involved with the student's development then we will be delighted to work with you to create a programme that suits all parties.

If you feel that your company can help with any of the elements outlined above then please contact either: 

Paul Armitage on 07970 260417 (email paul@gane.co.uk) or
Karen Hemsley on 01670 813111 (email karen.hemsley@northumberland.gov.uk) and make a real difference to a child's future.

Thank You.