Bloomberg Supports Teach First’s Innovation Unit
July 14, 2016
This July, Bloomberg expanded its partnership with its long-term educational non-profit partner Teach First. Bloomberg now supports the Teach First Innovation Unit, which incubates and nurtures social entrepreneurs that have potentially game-changing ideas to solve educational inequality in the UK.
To launch the expanded three-year partnership, Bloomberg hosted 18 Innovation Unit social entrepreneurs at its European headquarters in London for a day-long coaching session. More than 35 Bloomberg volunteers and 18 non-profit partners participated in sessions to help solve specific challenges the Innovation Unit partners identified. Topics ranged from help with financing to human resources and business strategy to communications.
Examples of the companies in attendance included:
Hackney Pirates, an enterprising charity working to develop the literacy, confidence and perseverance of young people in Hackney, so that they achieve both in school and in the world beyond.
Jamie’s Farm, which provides a unique combination of ‘farming, family and therapy’ for vulnerable children through a short-stay residential and follow up programme in schools.
Thinking Reading, a whole school reading program with a one-to-one intervention at its heart, helping secondary students catch up rapidly and completely.
In addition to on-going skills-based mentoring, Bloomberg will support various aspects of the Teach First Innovation Unit, including its Innovation Awards where the next five ideas to address educational inequality will be chosen. Bloomberg has partnered with Teach First since 2010. Since the charity’s inception in 2002, Teach First has recruited over 7,400 teachers working in almost 1,000 schools and reaching one million young people in low-income communities across the UK.
Bloomberg is committed to helping end educational inequality, create opportunities for young people and strengthen educational leadership. Through programs such as Bloomberg Startup, the company’s signature education engagement program, the Global Philanthropy and Engagement team harnesses the unique skills and talents of employees to strengthen communities worldwide.