A centre helping kids who’ve been excluded from mainstream schools in London’s East End has been given £20,000 to help run its one-to-one mentoring scheme.
The Peacock Gym Academy has been given the cash by rail bosses at DLR to help disadvantaged youngsters.
The centre puts emphasis on “learning by experience” with individual approaches giving youngsters aged 14 to 19 the chance to reach their full potential into adult life.
“Many would go into adulthood without hope of a productive future,” said Kevin Thomas, director of Serco Docklands which runs the DLR. “So we’re supporting the academy to make a difference to disadvantaged youngsters.”
The cash is to pay for five mentors to support 75 youngsters socially and emotionally, including some who have high levels of social exclusion. The Academy has helped remove barriers to jobs for 350 school-leavers since it was set up in 2008.
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