Moon Executive Search’s Director of Executive Search, Simon Quinn, is a Chair of civic and social organisation Babbasa - formed to assist, support and empower the development of young people from diverse communities.
As leading executive recruitment specialists, we understand the need to support young people to improve employability and ultimately reduce unemployment.
About Babbasa
Babbasa was formed in 2010 by 4 young graduates, in response to the persistent high levels of youth unemployment, educational under-achievement and low aspirations amongst young people living in Bristol’s inner-city communities.
In 2013, Babbasa was formerly incorporated to support and empower young people to pursue and realise their employability and entrepreneurship ambitions. The on-going need for Babbasa’s work can be evidenced in reports such as: Deprivation In Bristol 2015, JSNA 2016/17 and Vital Sign 2017.
The Babbasa Approach
Once enrolled on a Babbasa programme, the young people are offered one-to-one meeting(s) to fully assess their needs, barriers and ambitions.
The information they gather is used to inform relationships with, and a Support Plan for, the young person, to help them pursue and/or realise their ambitions.
Babbasa looks to develop a support plan for each of the young people so that they can grow and become leaders.
The Young People
Young people often come to Babbasa needing positive relationships in their lives, with adults they feel care about them and are keen to help them realise their potential.
Many come from low-income families, single-parent household or dysfunctional families; some speak English as a second language; some have migrated to the UK (e.g. as asylum seekers) and have experienced discrimination when trying to pursue their ambitions.
Each year Babbasa liaises with local residents from inner city Bristol, local education providers, faith bodies, online groups and community organisations to engage around 100 – 300 young people.
Support Plan
The core activities included in a Support Plan will include one or more of the following:
Soft Skills Training – To help them develop or build on their self-belief, employable skills, workplace values and confidence to find and access opportunities.
Problem Solving Challenge – Involve them in a challenge, which enables them to build their confidence and experience by working in a team to solve a practical societal issue.
Professional Mentoring Scheme – Match them with a mentor, aligned to their professional ambitions, to develop a career pathway and industry insights and networks.
Placement Support – Support them to access: work experience, apprenticeship, employment or enterprise opportunities aligned to their ambitions.
Action & Results
The Babbasa approach works, because it doesn't employ the traditional classroom-style teaching that has failed many of the young people they work with. Babbasa taps into young people’s talent and natural abilities to build their self-esteem. the team encourage the use of local resource, cultural references and language that resonate with young people.
They engage young people on both an intellectual and emotional level. Babbasa builds on young people’s strength, and not their weakness, to help them address their barriers and subsequently realise their ambitions.
