Rachael Box, who is founder of the Local Village Network charity

A CHARITY working to help young people into work is rolling out mentoring sessions at job centres amid rising youth unemployment rates due to the pandemic.

The Local Village Network (LVN), based in the Business Design Centre, is being backed by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to roll out its “Power of an Hour” programme to reach young claimants.

The charity was founded by Rachael Box, a mother of teenage twins from Islington.

She said: “If you come from a middle-class family, often your parents are going to know somebody related to the industry you would like to go into. We want to change that.

“When it comes to diversity and inclusion for us as a charity, that starts with a conversation. Every time you meet somebody new, you grow as a person – you take on mannerisms, dialogue and perspective.”

Ms Box added: “A lot of young people that we work with would find going into a business setting quite intimidating, so we are about giving them an opportunity to meet people outside their usual sphere of influence in a non-intimidating way so they can start to feel confidence.”

An equalities report last year showed 28 per cent of children under 16 in Islington live in low-income house­holds – among the highest in the country.

Since the pandemic, youth unemployment rates have shot up. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found 80 per cent of those who lost jobs in the past year were under 35 years old.

LVN relies on volunteers giving just one hour of their time to support local young people and have launched an app to help.
Volunteers use their hour to share their industry insights and offer support with CVs and interview.

The charity is working with businesses including Lloyd’s Banking Group and Facebook to link mentors with young claimants, and is encouraging businesses and employers in the borough to get in touch and sign up to volunteer.