Future You with schuh

We are excited to announce the 9th edition of our “Do You” event series rebranded to Future You with schuh took place on August 29th, at the Shipman Youth Zone, London. These events are designed to create a meaningful impact by connecting young people with The Prince’s Trust, an organisation renowned for its dedication to supporting youth through education, employment, and enterprise.

Building Pathways to Success

Our Future You with schuh events have a clear mission: to empower young people by helping them build confidence, gain essential skills, and secure employment. Since the inception of this series, we have proudly connected 1,370 young individuals to The Prince’s Trust Programmes, specifically tailored to guide youth into training, employment, or entrepreneurship.

This year’s annual NEET (Young people not in education, employment or training) report detailed:

• An estimated 12.2% of all people aged 16 to 24 years in the UK were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in April to June 2024. This is up 0.9 percentage points compared with April to June 2023, and down 0.4 percentage points on the previous quarter.
• The total number of people aged 18 to 24 years who were NEET was 807,000, up 65,000 on the previous year.

Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion

At the heart of our events is a commitment to fostering diverse talent. We strive to create opportunities for all young people, regardless of their background or identity. Our initiatives actively promote racial equality, ensuring that young people from all ethnic backgrounds have access to opportunities. We also focus on disability equality by providing inclusive environments where everyone can thrive. Additionally, our support for LGBT+ equality emphasises our dedication to assisting young people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Read more about how we are fostering diverse talent at schuh.

Success Stories from Past Events

In 2020, the “Do You” initiative was launched to support vulnerable young people during lockdown. Partnering with The Prince’s Trust, we connected 99 participants through live sessions and engaged thousands more through digital activations. This inaugural event took the initiative to a national level, fostering essential conversations on mental health, resilience, and personal growth. With support from adidas, The Prince’s Trust facilitated these sessions, and their dedicated support workers played a crucial role in guiding participants from their initial sign-ups and onto their next stages of personal development.  adidas, our inaugural brand partner, was represented on the panel by their CSR Manager, Jonathan Collinge, who offered valuable insights into the importance of cultivating a supportive and encouraging culture within the brand.

In March 2021, we partnered with TOMS to launch a series of online workshops focused on mental wellness. This initiative reached an impressive 3,297,001 people through The Prince’s Trust, schuh, TOMS, and Eventbrite.

Further expanding our reach, in July 2021, we collaborated with Converse, focusing on “Creativity as a Form of Self-Expression”, emphasising the role of artistic outlets in shaping personal development.

Looking Ahead: Future You with schuh

This year’s 9th event, formerly known as “Do You” and now rebranded as Future You with schuh, provided an inspiring day of growth and connection in partnership with TOMS. The event was a dynamic lineup of workshops focused on mental and physical well-being, accompanied by an all-day music set from DJ Demi Ruffell. The event featured an impressive selection of speakers, including Ramzan Talent, Zoe Mallett, Gee Halil from schuh, Jayen Shukla and Sladja Martin from The Prince’s Trust, Andrea Cheong, Cooking Kassandra, LJ Flanders, and Ellie Austin-Williams. Attendees were provided with a unique opportunity to engage with industry leaders, explore new ideas, and gain valuable insights to shape their future.

Together with The Prince’s Trust and our dedicated partners, we are making a difference – one young person at a time!