Strategy
Future Projects has a proud history of working with people in extremely challenging and complex situations. Our services have literally saved lives and provided a safety net for families and individuals throughout Norfolk that would otherwise have been cut adrift and further excluded from society.
The last few years have perhaps been the most important in the charity’s recent history as the unprecedented scale of the challenges facing our society have become clear. For many of the people we support, the future is uncertain and frightening as poverty and deprivation continue to worsen, resulting in severe hardship. We are committed to addressing these issues as we look forward to the next stage in the charity’s journey through this new four-year strategy, which focusses on how we as an organisation can continue to develop and improve for the benefit of our service users. We have a very clear process for breaking down our long term aims into manageable actions, so we can track our progress and stay on course. Our every activity can therefore be traced back to our over-arching vision.
By 2024 we want to be well known as a leading charity in Norfolk which delivers first class services which are resilient, effective, sustainable and deliver the best possible outcomes for people in need. If you would like to know how we plan to do that, download our Organisational Strategy 2020 – 2024 here
What we do
Our work spans several themes, bringing personalised support in areas such as:
- Health and Wellbeing
- Housing and homelessness
- Welfare Rights and Benefits
- Debt and Money Advice
- Criminal Justice & Offender Support
- Family Support
- Therapeutic Education
- Volunteering
- Employment Support
- Training & Skills
- Tackling Loneliness and Social Isolation
- Community Development
These are broadly brought together under three strands:
Future Radio
Future Radio is the community radio station for Norwich, it was one of the first in the country to be awarded a five year, full time community broadcast license in 2005 and is now one of the largest and longest running community radio stations in the UK. It is managed by a small team of dedicated staff and operated by over 70 members of the community, who create shows, alongside providing background production and journalism support.
Future Radio offers anyone and everyone the opportunity to get involved with radio, whether it is creating their own radio show, assisting with background production or developing their skills in the journalism side of a radio station. It is also a platform for anyone in Norwich with something to announce, promote or share. The purpose of a community radio station is to serve the community, to provide this access to radio involvement, build skills and create opportunities. But also, to deliver local radio that can freely broadcast content and music for, and about, the community.
Future Education
Future Education is a school for 32 students in Years 9 to 11 with SEND. Most of our students have experienced significant trauma events in their early lives and present significant social, emotional and mental health issues. These experiences have been compounded by education placements which have struggled to support and understand their complex needs, leading to frequent and permanent exclusions. The school delivers a personalised, broad and therapeutic curriculum to help students re-engage in learning and to achieve.
In the last three years the school has continued to develop and grow, improving its practice and professionalism along the way. Future Education has always been a school where the staff team are dedicated and hugely supportive to all its students. We are focused on helping students to heal, to have hope, and to move forward as independent and capable young adults. Everything we do is underpinned by a therapeutic understanding that brings our staff and students together on a shared journey.
Future Support
Future Support has grown significantly in recent years, from what was originally one support worker helping residents in one of Norwich’s housing estates, to a collection of varied projects and services operating across Norfolk today. Much of our work focuses on supporting those that would fall through the gaps in other services and develop more entrenched, complex problems without preventative help.
Last year our teams worked with over one thousand people; advocating their cause, providing advice, and delivering training and wellbeing activities so people can live independent of our support. Have a look through the projects we are currently involved with below:
