Action Towards Inclusion

Partnership

Closed for new delivery partners

Participants

Referrals closed

Location

York, North Yorkshire and East Riding

Audience

Unemployed and econonimcally inactive participants

Deadline

Project finished March 2023

Currently evaluating impact of project

What is Action Towards Inclusion?

As an employability programme, ATI provides hundreds of fantastic outcomes for its participants: employment, training and job searching.

Better Connect lead on ATI to help and fund our partners and participants to achieve these targets, but also to promote key social goals for participants including improved mental health and financial wellbeing.

Our mission is building a happier and more inclusive Yorkshire.

Our mission is building a happier and more inclusive Yorkshire.

Funding

Action Towards Inclusion is part of the National programme Building Better Opportunities which is funded by the European Social Fund and National Lottery Community Fund.

About Action Towards Inclusion

Action Towards  Inclusion supports people throughout York, North Yorkshire and East Riding.

The project is delivered through a partnership of skilled keyworkers and intervention partners who work for organisations in the voluntary and community sector.

Action Towards Inclusion is for adults* who are not working and would love support in getting ready for work or training in the future.  It offers support to those who are the furthest from the labour market due to barriers such as mental health issues, debt and lacking qualifications.

We make sure all participants have the best match based on where they live and their specific needs and are ‘linked up’ with a local keyworker.

The keyworker will meet regularly with a participant getting to understand them and their personal background.

Action Towards Inclusion has supported over 2000 participants and got over 1000 of them into jobs, training or job seeking. The project has just been extended to run until 2023.

Support includes:

  • Money: Creating an action plan based on barriers, needs and aspirations. Help with benefits issues. Working out what job or course they most want. Professional debt advice. Learning how to run a business. Funding essential work/training costs like interview clothes.
  • Wellbeing: Check-ins with mental health and wellbeing. Counselling and other therapies. Wellbeing activities like creative arts.
  • Learning: Training in Maths, English & IT. Many other funded courses – everything from hair & beauty to door security.
  • Support: Regular meetings with their keyworker. Getting to know them and ensuring the project fits their needs and desires. Motivating them so nothing stands in the way of success.

*We can work with some young people under 18 depending on their schooling situation. Please get in touch with us first to check if this applies.

Our mission is building a happier and more inclusive Yorkshire.

News and Case Studies

Reflections, Resolutions, and a Happy New Year from Better Connect!

Action Towards Inclusion Blog Internal Meet the Team multiply news item RISE Thriving at Work

  Happy New Year from all of us here at Better Connect! Wondering what we’ve been up to over the last 365 days? With resolutions in full force, it’s only right that we share a few of our own after first recapping on some of our 2023 headliners, from programme closures to new launches, to

Transformation, Empowerment and Social Change: Real Impact across Yorkshire

Action Towards Inclusion Blog Internal news item RISE Thriving at Work

  The Better Connect team are excited to officially launch our Impact Report! Back in July our Impact Team began the process of collaborating with Research Retold on bringing the impact of our projects, alongside our brand and story to life! We’re delighted to share the finished product with you (click below) Transformation, empowerment and

Former ATI Participant ‘Sign with Sarah-Jade’ wins New Business of The Year Award 2023!

Action Towards Inclusion Blog news item RISE

  Today we’re celebrating Sarah-Jade, one of our former participants on ATI who has just gone on to win York Mix Radio’s New Business of The Year 2023 with her business ‘Sign with Sarah-Jade’! Sarah is a British Sign Language (BSL) teacher, who teaches a range of classes from babies to adults in York and

Rise 2 Thrive – New Partnership Opportunity for North Yorkshire

Action Towards Inclusion news item RISE Thriving at Work

  It’s an exciting time as we start to see the People & Skills funding opportunities under UKSPF for Year 3 (April 2024-25), which will be released by various Local Authorities in the coming weeks! After the success of our RISE and Thriving at Work programmes, Better Connect are excited to announce we will be

ATI Participant Stories- Louise, Laura & Katrina

Action Towards Inclusion Blog Mental Health news item RISE

  Following the publication of our recent Action Towards Inclusion (ATI) stats, today we’re celebrating three incredible women who took part in the project. Several months back, we had the opportunity to visit one of our partner organisations, Kyra Women’s Project, and speak to three women who were supported by them on ATI. Louise, Katrina

Celebrating ATI’s Accomplishments!

Action Towards Inclusion Blog news item

  Most of you will remember in April when we bid a final farewell to Action Towards Inclusion and planted (both literal and figurative) seeds for future projects. Since then, we’ve seen a few buds, launched RISE, Multiply has more or less entered year two of delivery, TAW has come to a close, and ATI’s

ATI Participant Stories – Ray

Action Towards Inclusion Blog news item

In honour of Mental Health Awareness week last month, we’re back with another participant story featuring Ray, Orb, a Dancing for Wellbeing class, and a Coordinator with two left feet. Ray joined Action Towards Inclusion (ATI) at the end of October 2021. I had the opportunity to meet with him several weeks ago to attend

Planting dreams, aspirations and hopes from the Action Towards Inclusion Programme

Action Towards Inclusion Blog news item

  Following the project’s end on 31st March this year, it’s finally time to say goodbye to Action Towards Inclusion, celebrate six successful years, and make good on our green-fingered promises here at Better Connect. Throughout ATI, our partnership has supported those furthest from the labour market traverse a range of barriers to employment and

ATI Participant Stories – Meet Harry

Action Towards Inclusion Blog news item

  Laura works as the Participant Experience Coordinator on our Action Towards Inclusion Programme. She often reads and hears stories from the participants who access the support and has decided to share some of those in a blog series called ‘ATI Participant Stories’.. Today we hear Harry’s story! Harry has been on Action Towards Inclusion

ATI Participant Stories – Meet Lucy

Action Towards Inclusion Blog news item

This week, in celebration of International Women’s Day and the wonderful women on Action Towards Inclusion (ATI),  we’re back with another participant story featuring the lovely Lucy, keyworker Gemma from Orb, and a Sun- Power yoga class. Having joined ATI in May 2022, Lucy has been attending a number of Orb interventions in view of

“To me, humility does not mean thinking less of yourself but means thinking of yourself less” – Sybille’s Story

Action Towards Inclusion Blog Internal Meet the Team news item

        Wednesday 8th March is International Women’s Day, today we hear Sybille’s story about moving from the NHS to finding at home at Better Connect. Syb is one of the most caring people and a key member within the team and it is a honour to share her story today.. From being

ATI Participant Stories – Meet Ian

Action Towards Inclusion Blog news item

Laura works as the Participant Experience Coordinator on our Action Towards Inclusion Programme. She often reads and hears stories from the participants who access the support and has decided to share some of those in a blog series called ‘ATI Participant Stories’. Today she shares Ian’s story..  Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of

Action Towards Inclusion – Project Evaluation Opportunity

Action Towards Inclusion Blog news item

  Better Connect are tendering for a final project evaluation for our Action Towards Inclusion (ATI) programme. ATI is part of Building Better Opportunities, a national programme funded by the European Social Fund and the National Lottery Community Fund. What is the ATI Programme? ATI is a £13million programme taking place across York, North Yorkshire

Action Towards Inclusion – A Life Changing Legacy

Action Towards Inclusion Blog Internal news item

180 people from across the Yorkshire region gathered at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate, on October 11th, to celebrate the significant impact the Action Towards Inclusion Programme has made over the past six years. “A Life Changing Legacy” celebrated and honoured the incredible work of ATI delivery partners and keyworkers, who were essential in the

ATI Celebration Event – The Tree

Action Towards Inclusion

If you attended our Action Towards Inclusion celebration event you will have seen the beautiful tree created by Christine and the Better Connect team. Christine has written a short piece explaining why this tree was important to the event and how it will continue to grow and live on..   “Let me tell you about

Julie re-elected to CIMA Members in Practice Committee for second term!

Action Towards Inclusion Internal Meet the Team news item

We are very excited to share that our amazing Head of Finance Julie Bickerdyke has been re-elected to CIMA Members in Practice Committee for a second term. We are so proud of her and asked her to share a little bit about her story and what this means to her..  “I am a CIMA qualified

Mental Health Awareness Week – “I always knew I was different and although I had a big group of amazing friends, I would still sometimes feel that sense of being alone in the world.”

Action Towards Inclusion Blog Internal Meet the Team news item Wellbeing Resources

        As part of Mental Health Awareness Week we spoke to Joe, Programmes Manager on Action Towards Inclusion, about his experiences of loneliness and what it looks like across our programmes..   “Feeling alone sometimes is part of the human condition. Everyone will experience some feelings of isolation in their lifetimes. Even

Local Linking Reflections – What will be the impact of the Action Towards Inclusion programme ending?

Action Towards Inclusion Blog news item

In March we ran a series of Local Linking Events. These events were an opportunity for people who are involved or interested in the Action Towards Inclusion or Thriving at Work programmes to come together, network and discuss important problems or issues that they may be faced with. One of the key issues that was

A Farewell from Sam and Introducing our New CEO…

Action Towards Inclusion Blog Careers Internal Meet the Team news item Thriving at Work

  Today we say goodbye to our amazing CEO Sam Alexander. Sam has worked for Better Connect for thirteen years, taking over as CEO six years ago. Sam has created an inclusive, positive and exciting place to work for all of the staff here. We will miss her greatly, but know that it is time

Reflections on the Local Linking Events so far

Action Towards Inclusion Blog news item Thriving at Work

We have been out on the road again in North Yorkshire! It has felt so good to see people face to face again, to talk in person about real issues our communities are facing and visit amazing local venue’s sampling lots of varied delicious lunch menu’s. Our Local Linking Events are for anyone wanting to

Useful Documents & Links

 

 

ATI Yorkshire Website

ATI Yorkshire Website

More information related to the Action Towards Inclusion project

RISE Programme

RISE Programme

More information related to the RISE project