"I got a lot more out of this than I would at school - and it’s made me want to get my GCSE’s. I’m knuckling down at school now, but in the past my behaviour at school was bad and my vocabulary and manners are better and I’m much more sensible around people now since I’ve been on the Say Yes Challenge and met my business mentor”

Daniel, 14

The Say Yes Challenge

These Challenges are impactful and can turn people’s lives around and we have good evidence of how many of our young people have gone on to find gainful employment or returned to education.

The scheme is aimed at 13-19 year olds and can be run with up to 64 young people split into teams. They are guided through a structured programme that tasks them to come up with an idea for the social good. They will take a particular problem in their community and then, through a social enterprise approach, devise a solution that could be implemented in their area. This Challenge begins with a launch day and culminates in a prestigious final event.

There are many benefits that come through the Say Yes Challenges, not least:

a sense of discipline that is vital for future education and employment
the enhancement of key skills, especially literacy and numeracy
improved behaviour - particularly a sense of what is “appropriate behaviour”
an improved chance of employment.

“The Say Yes Challenge was an event that brought out the best in our young people in terms of commitment, drive, enthusiasm and innovation. The young people took on real challenges and came up with real solutions, not by addressing problems that were easy to solve, but by tacking problems that were difficult to solve and which will make life more fulfilling for the communities of Nottingham City. During the process the young people were required to rise above their difficulties which they overcame with astonishing resilience. We can learn from the enthusiasm expressed by those young people and if communities were able to generate equal levels of energy we would move swiftly to the future we are trying to create. It was an honour to be involved”

Alan Given, Chief executive, Crime and Drugs Partnership, Nottingham.