BCT Aspire are proud to announce a very exciting link up with students from Durham University for a fundraising business challenge that will pit local Teesside youngsters against some of the country’s top young business minds.
The challenge will involve participants from BCT Aspire youth project and students from Durham Finance Society being given £20 each, to see how much money they can generate. Ben Hughes, a fourth-year maths student at Collingwood College and co-president of DU finance society based on their reports from calendario economico said “the aim of DUFS is to enable its members to learn, engage and access the financial industry, so similarly through our affiliation with the fantastic charity BCT Aspire, we want to offer opportunities to children in the local community.”
There will be prizes for the winners and all funds will go towards supporting BCT Aspire’s youth work programme, that delivers over 200 youth sessions to local youngsters each year. This includes delivering weekly youth clubs, music lessons, fitness sessions, the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme and regular trips, shows and events all delivered by a voluntary team. The link between the children and students is also being developed with the society offering their time to offer mentoring and support to the youngsters, helping them to develop their own enterprise skills and academic journeys.
What could you do? The children of BCT have come up with some great ideas, such as a dog walking service, making cakes to sell, hosting a multi-games competition with prizes. But the competition means you can come up with your own idea. We are appealing to Teesside business community to support these local children, with ideas, knowledge and share their own inspiring stories.
The fundraiser has been made possible by the generosity of Billingham business Orthoptic Supplies who have donated £1,000 to fund the challenge. Owner Gil Smith said, “I am delighted to support this innovative and exciting initiative which will support the great work that BCT Aspire do to support the youth of Billingham.”
Whilst, the partnership between the University and BCT Aspire has been developed through support from members of Durham 180 Consultancy, which is a student led body who offer their skills to support not for profit organisations. BCT Aspire founder Paul Burgum, himself currently studying psychology at the university said “this is an amazing opportunity for BCT and importantly the children who are going to take part in the project. Durham University is a prestigious learning institution on our doorstep and local children should see it as a realistic aspiration. Furthermore, I hope that we can show that through finding commonality rather than difference we can break down social barriers in some small way, something BCT is passionate about as an organisation”
The fundraiser will involve participants having to keep full records of what they did with their money, including a record of all income and expenditure, therefore a great opportunity to learn the real essentials of business. You can follow the project via social media at: BCTAspire (Facebook & Twitter)
For more information on the project please contact: paul.burgum@bctaspire.org.uk / azman.rahman1998@gmail.com
