STUF: We speak their language because we've lived their experience

Last month, The Clothworkers’ Foundation brought together nearly 200 amazing people representing charities from its grants programmes. They came from all corners of the UK to connect with each other and celebrate their work.

It was an inspiring day for The Foundation, as we heard about the impact our funding can have. James Jordan and Jermaine Bishop from Set Them Up Foundation CIC shared their journey with us—from founding their organisation to connecting with our Proactive Programmes Manager Nelly Koko-Konan and our Director Jenny North, to becoming a partner in our Economic Equity Proactive Grants Programme.

"We started STUF with one clear mission: To equip young people from low income backgrounds with the financial skills they need to thrive ... This work deeply resonates with us, 'cause we grew up in communities where money was rarely talked about and when it was, it was usually because there wasn't enough of it. We left school knowing how to write essays, sit exams, but not how to manage money.

"And this is where our USP comes in. We're not walking into classrooms, in a suit and a pair of fresh trainers, throwing around complex financial terms and hoping to connect. We're not bankers, we're brothers from the community. We speak their language because we've lived their experience. Our sessions are real, relatable and relevant, exactly what young people need. Nobody told us how credit worked, what interest really meant, or how to save a budget.

"We learned the hard way. Through debt and financial stresses, and we saw so many of our other peers and friends from the community go through the same thing. So we started speaking to young people, community associations and youth workers. One thing was very clear, there's a huge gap in financial education and young people starting adult life on the back foot, so in May, 2022, we launched STUF to fill that gap with real, practical and engaged workshops. At first, we had the passion, but not the infrastructure, funding or network. We were just two people with lived experience and a dream to change things..."

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Check out the speech made by Anne Bickerstaffe from Care Ltd.

Check out the speech made by Martin Finegan from Do It Now Now.

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