If not now, when?

A number of our supporters emailed me about?an article in The Times this week reporting on the recent Social Mobility in the South West Report (exeter.ac.uk) It reminded me that, while the report is depressingly familiar to us at Somerset Community Foundation , its message remains truly shocking to many, and rightly so. For this reason I applaud the Commission for making a great start and attracting national attention already.

For those who aren’t aware of the scale of the challenge, I wanted to share some of the key statistics from the report:

• At the end of primary school, fewer children from disadvantaged backgrounds in the South-West reached expected standards in reading, writing and maths than in any other region in 2021/22.
• Disadvantaged pupils were significantly behind national averages for attainment in GCSE Maths and English and A Level (and their equivalents) overall.
• The region continues to have the fewest young people from any background going on to higher or further education.

The Commission calls for a long-term responses, and I sincerely hope they can cut through in these tumultuous times to keep championing the cause nationally and regionally over many electoral cycles, not just the one coming up.

We don’t need more disjointed three-year initiatives or pilots that finish before they start. We need to get serious about change for a generation.

If not now, when?

While we need national and regional policy to change and we must remember that pupils, and the schools that serve them, are ultimately shaped by their unique surroundings: their community, their economy, their geography. So let us make sure that top-down change is flexible and dynamic enough to recognise and embrace this.

This is where local philanthropy can unlock so much potential. In our work we see three broad areas where carefully targeted but sustained local funding is already making a huge impact on the lives of children and young people in Somerset by:

• Supporting those that have fallen out of the formal education system, often helping them re-engage or find alternative pathways.
• Working with those who have deep-rooted challenges in their lives, such as poverty, neglect, mental health, or county lines that disrupts their ability to make the most of education, so that they can make the most of opportunities education offers.
• Direct financial support, especially to those moving from schools into work, education, self-employment or training where financial constraints are a huge barrier to opportunity.

One of the defining characteristics of local philanthropy is that it is intrinsically long-term. We are talking about local people, local companies, local trusts that are invested in a place for the long-term, supporting their local charities that are also passionately committed to their place in the World.

Isn’t that a great starting point if we are going to change a generation? ?

But we need more. Unlike many cities, Somerset does not have a deep bedrock of philanthropy to draw on - we have to build and create it ourselves. We know that most people think investing in young people is absolutely critical - they are, of course, our future.?That's why, in the coming months, we will launch a dedicated Somerset Youth Fund with the aim to inspire local businesses, individuals, and local and national funders to support the next generation.

Our aim is to and build a significant long-term fund, underpinned by research and evidence, that will make significant investment in our amazing local young people now, and for generations to come.?

We want to be a county where children and young people have better mental health, better access to the support they need to thrive at school and beyond, and where their household income doesn't determine their future.?

Will you join us? To find out more, contact Laura Blake , Philanthropy Director at SCF who would be delighted to hear from you.?