Social Responsibility and Making a Difference Young people from cohort two of our Cannock Co-operative (ad)Venture project got a unique insight into a local business earlier this month as they visited Newlife - The Charity For Disabled Children. Putting their learning into action A key focus of our Co-operative (ad)Venture project is to equip all participants with the skills, confidence and knowledge to move into employment post education. We know that many young people with disabilities, autism and learning difficulties are not given the opportunity to reach their full potential and we want to change that! This unique visit showed all the young people how their new skills could be put into practice, particularly as Newlife offer volunteer placements and opportunities to gain experience in the world of work. I didn't know it was about so much more than just the clothing More than just a clothes store All the young people learnt how Newlife is more than just a clothes store too, as shopping there is good for the environment and benefits disabled children and their families - a perfect match for our project. They recycle goods from major companies helping them achieve their environmental social responsibility policies, offering clothing, accessories and house wares at reduced prices, making it good for your pocket too! As a local charity, they have links with Midcounties Co-operative too who have raised £2 million for charity - another great example of how co-operatives are making a difference in the community. I learnt so much about how an idea can become a reality Behind the scenes As part of the visit, all the young people received a unique behind the scenes tour, learning more about how different departments work together. This included a trip to the warehouse, an insight into the fundraising and campaigns functions, plus a look at the care services and volunteer centre. They were able to ask questions and gained valuable advice and suggestions for how the experience could help them with their own project too. This sparked some brilliant conversations, with everyone commenting on how fun the visit was and how more people should know about Newlife's work. Putting their learning into action All the young people left the visit excited to put their learning into action and are looking forward to creating their own project as part of the scheme. Since starting, the cohort have grown in confidence, making new friends and working with each other to learn new things and explore how important co-operative values are. They realise that businesses are not just about making money but can also be about social responsibility and making a difference too. We're excited to see what they'll go on to achieve, so look out for more updates! Learn more about our Co-operative (ad)Venture project and how you can get involved via the button below. Learn more about our Co-operative (ad)Venture project Manage Cookie Preferences