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Over 1 in 10 young people aged 16–24 in the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET).” (Source: Office for National Statistics, 2024)
Positive Smiles enables young people aged 11-25 years in the North West to reach the best of their own potential, regardless of their background or circumstances. Many young people come from disadvantaged backgrounds; have been excluded, marginalised or underpriviledged by society and work. We aim to enable these young people to find pathways back into education, work or simply to enjoy a wider cultural life.
Some barriers young people experience prevent them from flourishing. Some of these barriers include unemployment, not in education, suffering from poor mental health, are in care (or are care leavers), are asylum seekers, refugees, disabled, from low income households or are an ethnic minority.
Here at Positive Smiles, we work to help young people remove or overcome the barriers they face by:
We work closely with schools and community partnerships, Local Council Leaving Care Teams, Family Intervention Projects , and local charities. Our fundamental aim in working with young people is to assist in developing their character, improving academic and professional attainment through long term group and 1-1 support, raising aspirations for them to achieve beyond their potential to lead positive, successful and inspiring lives, making a confident contribution to the community.
We work in conjunction with our specialist local services, ensuring we refer our clients to the appropriate agencies while fully supporting them throughout their experiences.
For information on the support we can offer, look through our current programmes or email us at – info@positivesmiles.co.uk
Many young people face significant challenges that hinder their ability to thrive, including unemployment, being out of education, poor mental health, care experiences, refugee or asylum status, disability, low-income backgrounds, or being part of an ethnic minority. At Positive Smiles, we are dedicated to helping young people overcome these barriers by offering support, opportunity, and advocacy tailored to their unique situations.
Positive Smiles provides a wide range of programmes and activities designed to help young people reach their full potential. These include outdoor adventures, cooking, DJing, arts, debates, and discussions – all crafted to encourage self-expression and confidence. Our creative and safe spaces give young people a place to build relationships, explore hobbies, and develop their ideas and ambitions in a supportive environment that bridges the gap between home and school.
We partner closely with schools, Local Council Leaving Care Teams, Family Intervention Projects, and local charities to deliver meaningful, long-term support. Our work focuses on building strong, trusting relationships and advocating for young voices to be heard in policy-making. We aim to develop character, improve academic and professional attainment, and raise aspirations. By working with local specialist services, we ensure young people receive the right referrals and ongoing support.
This was a 10-week course delivering workshops/masterclasses on entrepreneurship and business start-up. This programme was aimed to equip individuals with knowledge and skills to sensibly plan and launch their own ventures. Some individuals face various barriers to skills-development, many of which relate to individual attitudes and circumstances. Some of the most common include lack of confidence/self-esteem, lack of opportunities and support and lack of relevant skills.
This Young Entrepreneur programme included personalised support with confidence, relevant skills training, and exposing individuals to real-life business environments through shadowing and mentoring. Topics explored included self-employment, business planning, marketing planning, managing budgets and legal structures.
Download a copy of our latest flyer here.
To register or find out more information, email us at info@positivesmiles.co.uk
We were funded by the National Lottery Community Fund to deliver a programme to young people exposing them to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) subjects in an innovative way outside of the school. STEM education refers to the integrated teaching and learning of the subject’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. STEM education is usually presented through hands-on and relevant real-world learning experiences. Unfortunately, the place where many young individuals spend their time for learning—school—isn’t quite yet where it needs to be in terms of equipping students with STEM skills. Each school faces its own unique challenges, with some unable to take on the increased costs of incorporating STEM into the classroom. Even if they are, many will have trouble keeping resources up to date and relevant with such an ever-changing landscape.
Here at Positive Smiles, we aimed to show young people how STEM disciplines apply to many sides of our life, including future jobs and how STEM is the future. Beyond the Classroom was a programme aimed to expose young people aged 12-16 to STEM subjects and opportunities, to raise aspirations, increasing creativity, problem solving and teamwork skills. Group activities and individual development plans were explored during this programme to help gain a realistic understanding of future prospects in the STEM industries. Opportunities for career plans and development, business ideas and entrepreneurship, masterclasses and expert training were a few of the things covered within the programme. Positive Smiles aims to empower young people to make lasting positive changes, by supporting them at the earliest possible stage, stimulating their minds to start on their journey to reach the maximum potential.
Activities explored included group work, 1-1 support, masterclasses, guest speakers, workshops – all designed to help and encourage young people to understand and address their personal challenges to career aspects, helping to gain a realistic understanding of options with respect to the local jobs market in the STEM industries. This project aimed to be delivered in a productive, engaging, and experimental fashion – increasing elements of hands on experience, trips (COVID19 guidelines dependant), first-hand involvement, and opportunities to speak to individuals with successful STEM career. This was an exciting opportunity for young people to become inspired and learn all about their STEM career options and future of work!
Download a copy of our latest flyer here.
To register or find out more information, email us at info@positivesmiles.co.uk
Anti Bullying Week 2020
Thank you so much to everyone who entered the competition, choosing a winner was not easy and we want to take this moment to let all our entries know that we loved every single video and we wish you could all win! 🤩
1st Place winner is Amirah Sidat – Bradford 2nd Place – Masooma Ali – Manchester
Thank you for entering, raising awareness on such important topics and sharing your creative.
Hazelwood
41 Bury Road
Haslingden
BB4 5PG
Central Buildings
Richmond Terrace
Blackburn
BB1 7AP
All Souls-Bolton
Astley Street
Bolton
BL1 8EY