“Most young people don’t know what to aspire to. They need to be given the personal skills and confidence to go out and be what they want to be.” Young person
Quote taken from Government’s Policy Review of Children & Young People, Dialogue with Young People, op cit.

The 12 Keyfund skills have been specially chosen to help young people focus on core attributes which they will not only develop as they work on their projects, but will also help them achieve their goals and succeed in their transitions to adult life.

Why are they important?
“Social and emotional skills help young people to:
• become more resilient, rising to challenges when things get tough;
• learn to manage their impulses, settle and concentrate;
• build warm relationships, empathise and care what others think;
• begin to take control of their own health;
• manage strong and uncomfortable emotions such as anger and frustration;
• learn to feel good about themselves – reducing the likelihood of disruptive behaviour or behaviour that
could damage their health;
• manage anxiety and stress, including around tests and exams;
• reflect on longer term goals, raise their aspirations and become more able to resist negative pressure from others; and
• feel optimistic about themselves and their ability to learn, improving motivation and participation.”
Aiming high for young people: a ten year strategy for positive activities, 2007

“In addition to academic and technical skills, increasingly employers are also looking for evidence of young people’s ability to work in a team or to manage relationships with others. Skills which also help protect against wider social exclusion.” National Employers Skills Survey, Learning & Skills Council, 2005

“Improved social and emotional skills are essential to building young people’s resilience and allowing them to fulfil their potential. These skills help to shape how young people view themselves, their level of self-esteem and aspiration and the extent to which they can take control of their own lives. They are essential for learning, better health, and developing the resilience and capability to manage more complex transitions to adulthood. A lack of these skills may also be one of the root causes of the poor behaviour of a minority of teenagers, as well as behaviour that damages their health. The key challenge is that the most disadvantaged young people are less likely to acquire these skills, leaving them at greater risk of developing poor outcomes”. The Cost of Exclusion: Counting the Cost of Youth Disadvantage in the UK, Henally, S and Shgipanja, T, Princes Trust, 2007

There is compelling evidence that social and emotional skills directly influence not only how young people learn and achieve, but also their success in the labour market and the likelihood of them experiencing poorer outcomes. For example:

• “thinking and learning are inhibited by stress; feeling secure and valued promotes learning, whilst anger and unhappiness obstruct it;” Emotional Growth and Learning. Greenhaigh, P, London, Canada & USA, Routledge. Quoted in Fade Or Flourish; How Primary Schools Can Build On Children’s Early Progress. Wood, C and Caulier-Grice, J. 2006 Social Market Foundation, 1994
• “among students with the same IQ, those with problematic classroom behaviours, such as inattention, demonstrate lower academic achievement;” Clarifying The Relationship Between Academic Success and Overt Classroom Behaviour’ in Exceptional Children 1969 Swift, M.S., and Spivack, G, Oct; 36(2):99-104, 1969
• “children with behavioural problems at age 11 are less likely to be employed, or earn a lower wage, at age 42;” Which Skills Matter Carneiro P, Crawford C, Goodman A, CEE Paper No CEEDP0059, 2006
• “the risk of teenage pregnancy is increased for girls with lower self-esteem than their peers” Self-Esteem: The Costs and Causes of Low Self-Worth, Emler, Jn., York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2001

How will the 12 Keyfund Skills be measured?
The young people will be asked to complete a ‘skills wheel’ before and after their first stage project and then as part of the evaluation for each following stage. This quantitative information will provide us with the evidence of distance travelled for each young person.

The 12 Keyfund skills are...