9 June 2022
Guided by its vision and values and its ever-growing strategy to give back to both its residents and its wider connected communities, one of the leading providers in the UK build-to-rent market, Sigma Capital Group Limited, has partnered with The Outward Bound Trust on a new, bespoke project designed for teenagers as they take their next steps in life.
The course, ‘Building for My Future’, which is fully funded by Sigma and delivered through its Simple Life private rental brand, is open to 15+-year-olds from Simple Life resident families and its partner groups, which include Centrepoint, Young Lives vs Cancer, NSPCC, Park Palace Ponies’ volunteers, Sale Girls Football, as well as apprentices from the company’s supply chain partners.
The focus is on young people, who would not otherwise get the opportunity to join other like-minded individuals in a strength and character-building programme, which involves using outdoor activities as the vehicle to develop skills and attributes in young people. Activities include, ghyll scrambling, canoeing, challenging overnight wild camping expeditions, rock climbing and many more.
Applications for places opened in January 2022 for the pilot course, which took place in the Lake District in April 2022.
Simple Life’s ESG director, Niamh Waldron, and senior marketing manager, Tiffany Chevis, were joined by 10 teenagers, five of whom were Simple Life residents, three were connected with Park Palace Ponies and Centrepoint, and two were the teenagers of Simple Life team members. The first challenge was for them to meet and engage with new people and become a team from day one, then over the course of the next five days, they were tested mentally and physically, and had to pull together to get the most out of the course.
Niamh Waldron said: “Moving on from school or from within care is an exciting time for a young person, but it is also a time of considerable personal growth, lots of questions and some big challenges.
“We are thrilled, and extremely excited to be partnering with The Outward Bound Trust to give those taking part the opportunity to meet other young people who are also just setting out on life’s journey, helping them to build relationships and return from the trip with increased self-belief and skills, ready to give something back to their community and achieve their personal potential. We firmly believe this will have huge benefits to so many, well beyond the courses themselves.”
Martin Davidson, Director – Partnerships & Innovation from The Outward Bound Trust, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Sigma Capital Property Limited on their visionary “Building for my Future” project. Their vision and values align closely with our own, and their desire to improve the lives of young people through learning and adventure in the wild is at the heart of our mission as an educational charity. Providing opportunities to equip young people with self-belief, resilience, and aspiration as they enter adulthood is essential to helping them achieve their potential and developing resourceful and responsible citizens who will make a positive contribution to the communities where they live. The first course was a fantastic success, and we look forward to welcoming the second cohort to Ullswater in the autumn.”
Ayla who was one of the young people taking part in the pilot, said: “Going forward in the future, I know that taking different paths (even if they are out of your comfort zone) they can absolutely lead to great success and I know that even when I’m put in the most stressful environments, I can overcome them and that is something to be proud of.”
Sigma has now committed to running the project twice a year every year, with the next one taking place in October 2022. Applications open to residents, partners and charities in June 2022 to fill a maximum of 12 places on the trip, which will once again take place in the North West, but Simple Life aims to extend this provision countrywide from 2023.
