Championing Work Experience and Social Enterprise: Inspire 2 Ignite Joins EY Foundation’s Impactful Futures Programme

At Inspire 2 Ignite, we are committed to empowering young people with the skills, confidence, and opportunities they need to shape their futures. That’s why we were honoured to be invited to participate in the EY Foundation’s Impactful Futures Programme, a fantastic initiative designed to prepare young people for paid work placements while broadening their understanding of career pathways, social enterprise, and leadership.

As part of Work Experience Week, our CEO Sam Squire delivered two engaging sessions, providing young people with practical insights into enterprise and leadership while equipping them with tools to succeed in their placements and beyond.

Social Enterprise Needs You: Exploring the Power of Purpose-Driven Business

The first session, "Social Enterprise Needs You," focused on helping young people understand how they can share their vision with the world and activate communities. This interactive session challenged common misconceptions about social enterprises, highlighting how female leadership is significantly higher in this space and how leadership teams tend to be more diverse than in traditional businesses. It also featured real-world insights from social enterprise founders, demonstrating how mission-driven organisations can be both innovative and financially sustainable.

The session left young people inspired and curious about how they can make an impact while building a sustainable business, breaking the stereotype that social enterprises only exist to fundraise or rely on donations.

Leadership, Resilience, and Career Pathways

The second session saw Sam join a leadership panel, where he shared personal experiences and insights into navigating career pathways, building resilience, and creating a social impact. The discussion encouraged young people to reflect on their own aspirations while seeing first-hand how different career journeys unfold.

Following the panel, young people collated their learnings from the week and presented their reflections through a three-minute pitch, showcasing their understanding of how social enterprises generate income, develop new products, and drive innovation while making a difference. Their engagement and enthusiasm demonstrated how much they had absorbed and applied throughout the programme.

One participant shared their key takeaway:

"I realised that charities are not just about raising funds - they’re about people coming together from diverse backgrounds and sectors to create meaningful change. We even got to hear from loads of inspiring people, like Sam Squire, who reassured us that not knowing exactly what we wanted to do at our age is completely normal. Their stories highlighted how broad the charity sector truly is, and it was amazing to hear from all of them." - Hana Boukabous , Participant

Strengthening Partnerships and Looking Ahead

We really enjoyed the opportunity to connect and work with Lynne Peabody , Megan Young , and Kate Thomas from EY Foundation, further strengthening relationships and exploring how we can continue to support young people on their journey into employment, entrepreneurship, and social impact.

Being part of this programme was a brilliant experience, and we’re excited about the possibilities this partnership holds for the future. A huge thank you to EY Foundation for inviting us to be part of something so impactful!