Rio pictured with dance students on the Rio Ferdinand Foundation Salford programme at their showcase event, held

on 23rd October 2012 at the Lowry Theatre.

NEWSLETTER #01 JANUARY 2013

Im very pleased to introduce the first newsletter from the Rio Ferdinand Foundation, which will be keeping supporters, friends and followers of the Foundation up to date with all the great work were undertaking with young people in London, Manchester, and internationally, on a quarterly basis. The RFFs inaugural year has seen the launch of several exciting new projects more information on all of which can be found here in the newsletter. The work the RFF does to support young people around the world into education and to achieve their potential is a cause thats close to my heart. Weve seen the impact these projects can have on young people, so its great to look forward to seeing our projects develop over the coming months and years.

Happy New Year!

Rio Ferdinand
21st January 2013

RFF NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS: OUR MAIN FOCUS DIRECTION FOR 2013!
Weve got lots of great things on the agenda for 2013, including these...
- Publishing our year one impact report on the work of the Rio Ferdinand Foundation and successes to date. - Formulating partnerships with a range of training partners. - Working with a range of corporate partners. - Working with young people at risk in Croydon. - Continuing and further enhancing existing projects in Southwark, Lambeth and Salford.

Page One

More stories on pages 2 and 3...

SOME HIGHLIGHTS WE HIT IN 2012...

RFF LAUNCHES RECON-struction FASHION PROGRAMME
RFF is proud to announce a new fashion programme, to operate primarily on the Aylesbury estate delivering diverse youth programmes - from an Under-11s Saturday inter-estate football league, to DJ and multimedia workshops. The RECON-struction Fashion project was a new addition this summer, designed to introduce 8-25 year olds to a range of fashion skills by recycling their own old garments from jeans, to t-shirts, to trainers. Mentored by two up-and-coming fashion designers, the projects aspiring fashionistas learn customisation techniques and sewing skills, along with the basics of pre-design skills to get the creative juices flowing.

RIO FERDINAND FOUNDATION SUPPORTS YOUNG TALENT AT THE LOWRY THEATRE

The RFFs Salford programmes showcase, held on the 23rd October at the Lowry Theatre, was a hugely successful afternoon that allowed participants to demonstrate their considerable talents in street dance, drama, music and photography. Attended by Rio Ferdinand, plus guests, prospective new participants and members of the press, the showcase set the bar high, wowing the crowd and surely inspiring the next intake of young people to follow in their footsteps and fulfil their potential.

RIOS RISING STARS LAUNCHES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ROUNDHOUSE, CAMDEN

Rios Rising Stars is a new programme personally commissioned by Rio himself, which is being delievered in partnership with the Roundhouse, Camden. The programme is geared towards young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) to offer them preparation, insight and training for sports, entertainment and creative arts careers - ultimately to support them into further training, qualificaiton and employment in these fields. Rios Rising Stars will be structured into two strands, one focusing on the sports sector and the other focusing on the entertainment industry. These two focus disciplines have been handpicked by Rio in alignment with his personal interests in these areas. The two strands of the programme will intertwine over a two year period, in which a total of 120 young people will benefit from the programme.

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RIO FERDINAND FOUNDATION LAUNCHES SOUTH AFRICA PROJECT

In July, the RFF was delighted to announce the launch of our first international project - in Cape Town, South Africa. This new outpost of our effective Breaking Barriers programme is aimed at supporting young people in the Western Cape into training, accreditation and employment pathways. As part of the RFFs work in South Africa, a delegation from SA was hosted by the Crystal Palace Foundation in 2012. As part of their fact finding and development this cohort received accredited training (VRQ level 1 Award in Using Sport to Tackle Youth Crime) from Michael Nyarko (Head of Operations). Upon returning to SA, the group will take these skills back to their townships to set up and assist with local community projects. Weve seen how well these projects can work in London locations such as Bromley, so its great to be able to replicate this for South Africa.

NEW PROJECT! THE SALFORD PROJECT LAUNCHES 2013

Whats next?

The Salford Project will target young people aged from 11-21 from Salford who are at high risk of entering the youth justice system and becoming involved in anti-social behaviour and serious youth violence. The Salford project will work with targeted young people referred into the programme by local partners such as youth offending units and pupil referral units. This media and sports focused programme will work with both young males and females, with the aim of positively engaging and supporting youth into employment, enterprise and training. This project will be delivered by a team of highly trained youth and sports workers.

NEW PROJECT! THE CHOICES PROGRAMME LAUNCHES IN CROYDON 2013

The Choices programme aims to offer an inspirational but intensive programme of change for up to 10 young people aged 13-18. It focuses on using sport, cultural activities and a supportive multi-agency environment to create pathways for personal and social development and to provide credible routes into mainstream education, training and employment.

Thank you

The Rio Ferdinand Foundation could never have achieved all that we have been able to achieve in our first year without the help of our wonderful team, our partners, sponsors and associates.

We would particularly like to thank: Phil Townsend and colleagues at Manchester United Football Club; Mike Kerridge and Chater Financial; Polaris Media; Castlegate Capital; Mr Richard Taylor and colleagues at the Damilola Taylor Trust; Salford City Council; City Bridge Trust; Roundhouse; Crystal Palace FC Foundation; The Lowry; The Spirit of London Awards team.