Alice Lavender shares the importance of social value at Moorhouse and her experience of volunteering with our charity partner, School of Hard Knocks.
Our commitment to social value
At Moorhouse, our commitment to social value and volunteering in the community is paramount. It plays an important part of mine and many of my colleague’s enjoyment and experience of working here. Our most recent initiative was one of our biggest yet. Over 150 of us spent the day volunteering at 13 different sites across London; from supporting youth services, to helping deliver environmental gardening projects, and even saving hedgehogs! Another of our biggest social value commitments is to our charity partner, School of Hard Knocks (SoHK).
Supporting School of Hard Knocks
School of Hard Knocks offer unique employability programmes for both adults and young people. They support unemployed adults with techniques to find and sustain employment. SoHK also mentor school children who struggle to engage in education, aiming to boost personal development and encourage commitment to, and enjoyment of school.
I wanted to get involved in volunteering at School of Hard Knocks as I was keen to support a charity that empowers both adults and young people in unconventional ways, such as using both boxing and rugby, alongside formal employability techniques to develop valuable skills and leave a lasting impact.
How we’ve helped recently
As part of our commitment, we run regular fundraising and volunteering events. In November, our consultants shared their expertise to facilitate a mock assessment centre for adults struggling to find employment, as well as fundraising events, such as our Winter Raffle and LeJog virtual cycle.
Recently, we supported a school programme for Year 11 students to help with job applications and interview process to prepare them for leaving education.
We joined the students at their school to conduct mock interviews with them for their chosen career. For most, this was their first interview experience, so naturally some began the day nervous and shy – as I remember all too well from my first interview! After a little encouragement, they felt more confident to expand on their answers and showcase their skills.
Once the interviews were done and the students could relax again, we shared feedback and advice on how they could improve. The students then put us in the hotseat and had the chance to grill us on our careers to date.
“Having industry experts attend shows the young people they are valued and that we believe in them”.
We shared practical advice based on our own varying career paths that had led to our current roles at Moorhouse. This left them surprised and eased to hear that career paths can be flexible, and people often deviate from their pre-defined ‘career plan’ – and that this is ok!
Impact
“I didn’t even think I could do it, but now my confidence has grown”- Year 11 Student
“The feedback received was vital and has genuinely shaped interviews for them going forward”. – SoHK London Schools Manager
“The year 11 interview day was such a unique experience for our young people. It provided them with industry insight and a genuine opportunity to experience a ‘real’ interview.” – SoHK London Schools Manager
“The success of the interview day with Moorhouse has highlighted to us the importance of incorporating more days like these across our other programmes.” – SoHK London Schools Manager
We are continuously developing our social value agenda at Moorhouse and finding more ways to give back to local communities. We’re really excited about continuing our support to SoHK through various fundraising and volunteering opportunities and making a real impact through this great cause.
See their website for more information and ways you can support https://www.schoolofhardknocks.org.uk/
About the author
Alice Lavender
Alice is a Consultant within the Moorhouse Health team and has previous experience in industry. She is APM qualified with project management experience and has led multiple work-streams within a digital transformation projects.