Flexible workspace provider Koba and leading social mobility charity IntoUniversity have agreed a partnership which will see Koba curate opportunities for its residents to help young people facing disadvantage fulfil their potential.
Flexible workspace provider Koba and leading social mobility charity IntoUniversity have agreed a partnership which will see Koba curate opportunities for its residents to help young people facing disadvantage fulfil their potential.
The programme, which has been co-designed by Koba and IntoUniversity, will launch inside Koba’s first site, 100 Barbirolli Square in Manchester later this year.
Called ‘Class Of’, the programme will see Koba and its residents support a cohort of young people from IntoUniversity’s nearby centres through a wide range of activities including mentoring, internships and open days, with the majority of activity happening on site at Koba.
The programme will help build on IntoUniversity’s mission to provide local support that can break cycles of disadvantage and open up new opportunities for young people. The charity operates 43 centres across England and Scotland – from Newcastle to Norwich and East Ham to Edinburgh – supporting over 50,000 young people each year.
As part of Koba’s commitment, Head of Operations Taylor Farrimond will create opportunities for IntoUniversity students to intern at Koba. The business will also make an annual financial contribution to the charity and provide free credits for IntoUniversity staff to utilise its spaces.
Rob Stewart, Koba’s Director of Strategy and Sustainability said:
“Nowadays we expect to find a sense of purpose not just from what we do at home, but from our work too. That’s a big change from even a generation ago, and a big challenge for employers.
“This partnership is a very deliberate attempt to embed opportunities to find that purpose in every site we open. This isn’t just for Koba residents, it’s for everyone in the building.
“We’ve seen first-hand how amazing people feel when they’ve been part of IntoUniversity’s work, even just by giving a small amount of their time to help younger people.
“I remember walking away from our first visit to their site in Hackney and thinking ‘we have to make this work’, and now we have we couldn’t be more excited.”
Hannah Margetts, Head of Fundraising at IntoUniversity said:
“Space is an important aspect of IntoUniversity’s work, both conceptually and practically: young people facing disadvantage often live in overcrowded environments that lack a quiet, calm space to study and where devices are shared between siblings. At the same time, the young people we work with are underrepresented in academic and corporate spaces, and rarely get the opportunity to experience these environments while growing up. A core part of our programme is to offer the opportunity for young people to take part in activities, workshops and visits in a variety of academic and corporate settings, working with our partners to deliver bespoke sessions that help the young people acclimatise and feel that these are spaces they belong in.
“Working with Koba, we will be able to deliver even more opportunities for our young people to immerse themselves in such environments, utilising the power of space to empower them for the future and delivering real and lasting impact. What we loved about Koba was their genuine enthusiasm to make IntoUniversity part of the fabric of how they operate their business. We’re really excited to be working with Koba and thank them for all the support they have committed.”
