Football For Change has announced funding for Roots & Wings, the youth engagement programme which works with young people at risk of criminal exploitation and those who have become disengaged from education.
The project, which is delivered by Mandela8 in collaboration with Taking Shape, aims to provide young people suffering the social and economic consequences of living in communities of high deprivation and high levels of crime, with opportunities in education, the chance to learn new skills and includes restorative justice practices.
Roots & Wings also aims to find enduring solutions to prevent the young people from becoming involved in crime and violence, understand the cause and effect, reduce naivety and increase the resilience and strength of at-risk young people to not get involved.
Football For Change has committed to funding Roots & WiIngs for three years and is also supporting the organisation with a potentially life-changing visit to South Africa for young people affected by crime and deprivation in Liverpool 8.
Football For Change ambassador Trent Alexander-Arnold said:
“The work Roots & Wings does is phenomenal. It is inspiring and I am really pleased that Football For Change has been able to provide this support.”
Sonia Bassey MBE, chair of Mandela8, said:
“Mandela8 are delighted to receive such a generous award from Football for Change towards the Roots and Wings programme. This will really help us by providing financial stability for the programme enabling us to make sure our programme continues to consistently support young people in our communities who need that extra support.”
Football For Change was launched in 2021 by footballers including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jamie Carragher and Conor Coady. It has since been backed by Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham, Jack Grelish, Gary Neville and Beth Mead.
The charitable initiative aims to provide opportunities in education, employment, sport and training to young people affected by poverty and other social and economic disadvantages in some of the UK’s most challenged communities.