Babbasa marks its ‘Queen’s Award for Enterprise’ by launching an urgent appeal to support local young people affected by the Coronavirus pandemic
Youth Empowerment organisation, Babbasa has won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise – the highest official award for a UK business.
The St Pauls-based nonprofit has been recognised with a Promoting Opportunity award for its ‘outstanding achievement’ in improving equal opportunity in inner-city Bristol.
Babbasa works with young people from less advantaged backgrounds to discover their strengths and talents, and use those strengths to land their dream job.
Babbasa’s Founder and CEO, Poku Osei said, “We launched Babbasa in 2013 with a simple vision to help young people who are being disadvantaged to realise their career ambitions.
“It’s an immense honour to be recognised on a national level.
“It’s a real testament to the commitment of our young people, mentors and employers, as well as the dedication of my team, who have supported over 2,200 young people since our inception.”
Babbasa supports young people, predominantly from ethnic minority backgrounds (BAME) and low-income households, and offers free one-to-one support, professional mentoring, skills training, career guidance, and work opportunities.
The nonprofit joins other enterprises such as KPMG and Timpson Group that have previously received this Royal recognition.
They have launched an appeal to help the organisation provide support to young people affected by the challenges arising from the pandemic.
Poku said: “Before the pandemic, young people from ethnic minority backgrounds were known to be 47% more likely to be on zero-hour contracts.
“Since the lockdown, we did some research in our local community to find out the impact that Coronavirus was having, and we discovered that many young people in our community have sadly lost their jobs.
“We also discovered that over 74% of those enrolled with us are experiencing high levels of stress, anxiety and a loss of purpose.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has also hit the voluntary sector hard, especially not-for-profit enterprises like Babbasa who do not receive any core funding.
“We have therefore launched the #BeyondCovid appeal to help retain our frontline caseworkers who are needed more than ever to continue their work in the community.
“Our team staff members have been working on the phone and over video chat to make sure that local young people are not left behind and to prevent the inequality gaps from getting any worse.
“It is vital for us to ensure that we have an open line of communication to assist these young people and their families, who rely on us for hope in these troubled times”
Those wishing to contribute to the #BeyondCOVID appeal can make a donation through Babbasa’s Local Giving page here.
Babbasa has also launched its first-ever online festival, Skill Swap which gives young people a chance to share their experiences during lockdown, and their talents.
The festival will also feature workshops from professionals to help boost young peoples’ employability during this time.
Be a part of the event, join us, and share it with your friends and colleagues by clicking here.