‘Brighter Futures’ project inspires people to pursue life-long opportunities

‘Brighter Futures’ project inspires people to pursue life-long opportunities

Corby residents with hidden disabilities have embarked on a self-development journey to improve their quality of life.

One-to-one sessions, tailored to the individuals’ living needs and financial situation, have provided numerous training, education, and employment opportunities. “A practical solution for the practical matters in life” is the ethos of Practical Matters, the organisation behind the support. Employees Rebecca James and Jonathan James have themselves been diagnosed with complex difficulties such as Asperger's, ADHD, and Dyslexia. This helps them relate to, and empathise with the participants, which is paramount to achieve success in the Brighter Futures project.

The initial conversation with the individual is all about instilling a sense of direction and providing reassurance of the endless opportunities out there. This could involve going to college to gain a qualification, creating a professional CV to seek a particular career path, or discussing hobbies and interests if the individual is uncertain what they want to achieve.

The tailored action plans created by Practical Matters involve completing ‘mini-goals’ so that small, daily steps will eventually amount to a significant positive change over time.

During an interview about the project, Rebecca James, commented: “We want to give people with hidden disabilities the opportunity and skills necessary to gain meaningful employment and independence to further their additional employment opportunities themselves. This will help participants become more independent and be able to lead a better life away from the stresses of living on benefits.”

The Brighter Futures project is having a great impact on every participant to help transform their way of living. A growing number of people are becoming involved (soon to be 31 participants) and are receiving life changing help and guidance – with many achieving great outcomes.

Learners commented on how much they enjoyed the project, and what they’ve gained from taking part: “It (Brighter Futures) has helped me in a lot of ways and has showed me a different way of learning. Rebecca has been amazing helping me with my training”

Another learner commented: “It has offered steppingstones of preparation and helped me succeed in getting a job which will offer me a better future”

The ‘Brighter Futures’ project was funded by the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership’s (SEMLEP’s) Community Grants programme. The programme, funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) offers Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises grants of £10,000 to £20,000 to help the most isolated people get back into work or training. Read more about the inspiring impact of our Community Grants projects here: https://bit.ly/3jExVP2
For more information on ‘Practical Matters’, click here: https://bit.ly/3BK9GID

What was the application process like, working with SEMLEP?

“The Community Grants team have been absolutely wonderful; the best funder I have ever worked for. Allison and Lizzie have been so helpful listening to my ideas and answering questions about all kinds of things, from paperwork being correct to whether a person/ cost is eligible for the project. Heide has been wonderful about going through my financial submissions, she’s very thorough and I like that she asks me questions about things I may have made a mistake on rather than just denying the claim.

SEMLEP have not only been able to allow me to start my organisation from funding it’s inception, but the Community Grants team have assisted me in ensuring it runs smoothly. These factors have meant we have so far been able to assist our clients achieve their goals in fulfilling Practical Matters’ purpose but also look to expand and deliver to more individuals.”