We’re delighted to announce that the Arete Foundation will be supporting Inspire Youth Zone’s Inspire to Aspire and Reduce NEET programme.

Inspire Youth Zone plays a vital role in Chorley, offering over 3,000 young people a safe, positive space where they can build confidence, develop new skills and access trusted support. With the borough seeing one of the sharpest rises in young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), Inspire is tackling this challenge head-on.

Our grant will help expand their targeted STEM-focused Maker Zone offer—small group sessions designed specifically for young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET. These workshops provide hands-on experience in coding, robotics, product design, engineering skills and digital creativity, all delivered by trained youth workers in a calm, supportive environment.

Crucially, Inspire combines this with outreach, mentoring and strong partnerships with local employers, opening doors to apprenticeships, further training and meaningful career pathways. The programme has already shown impressive improvements in confidence, wellbeing, aspirations and employability—and we’re proud to help it reach even more young people.

At Arete, we believe every young person deserves the chance to thrive. Inspire’s approach does exactly that: reducing barriers, nurturing talent and building brighter futures.

We’re excited to support this important work and look forward to seeing the impact over the coming years.