About Us

All young people should have equal opportunities. Unfortunately, this is still far from reality. The Dream Trust (UK) aims to change this.

There are many forms of discrimination that can unfairly limit young peoples’ opportunities and chances of success. A person’s social class, race, gender, geographic location, sexual orientation, or level of education, to name just a few, can all place significant barriers in front of young people who are striving hard to achieve. To illustrate this, in 2018-19, over half of disadvantaged young people in the UK left school without basic qualifications, and of these, 80 per cent were less likely to secure professional roles.

The Dream Trust (UK) is working to change this. We are a charity that helps disadvantaged young people overcome the barriers they face through training, skills, and support and by supporting other charities with a similar purpose. 

Social class

Unfortunately, not everyone in our society has access to the same opportunities in life, with a person’s social position (usually based on wealth, educational attainment, occupation, income, or membership in a subculture or social network), often determining their educational level and employment prospects. By providing access to work experience and internship placements, as well as helping to develop important social skills, The Dream Trust (UK) helps ensure that social background does not limit a young person’s opportunities and prospects.

Educational background

In the UK, only six-and-a-half per cent of children attend private schools, but in 2016 they made up 42 per cent of Oxford University’s domestic intake, and in 2019, former private school students made up 39 per cent of top professions. We are working to change this by providing young people from state schools with careers help, including CV writing, interview training, and work experience – something privately educated students are 4.5 times more likely to secure through family or friends. We have also started an initiative enabling communities to convert payphones into careers libraries and information centres to help young people access important careers information and advice.

Geographical location

There are significant geographical inequalities throughout England, most notably the North-South divide – where average earnings in the North are less than in the South and public investment (which was £12,147 per person in London compared to only £8,125 in the North in the five years to 2019-20), is lower. Furthermore, the South of England often has more access to educational and work opportunities than the North. Out of Oxbridge applicants, approximately 1.5% were from the South and East of England compared to only 0.8% from the North or the Midlands. There are similar divides between rural and urban areas. We recognise how powerful geographical inequalities can be at restricting opportunities, so we are providing resources and funding to communities in disadvantaged areas.

Race

While overt racism is increasingly being stamped out in Britain, it is sadly the case that many institutions still work in ways that “discriminate against Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people,” negatively impacting access to opportunities. This is often linked to other factors such as geographical location, as ethnic minorities are more likely to live in “cities (where unemployment is relatively high) than the white population”, and socio-economic factors, whereby ethnic minorities often face “economic disadvantage at higher levels than their White British counterparts.”  We work to make sure that young people from ethnic minorities are able to access valuable opportunities, by providing work experience and internship placements, as well as by connecting people with role models to inspire and support them.

Physical discrimination

Young people can face huge pressure to conform to unrealistic and unfair standards of appearance demanded by ‘society’. This can cause young people to become unhealthily self-critical or to lack in confidence. Some young people may even experience unacceptable discrimination because of their physical appearance. At the Dream Trust (UK), we have a network of influencers from different industries who work to transform the confidence of young people who experience physical discrimination so that they feel empowered and supported to achieve their goals and aspirations.

Language

A good grasp of spoken and written English is a vital pre-requisite for access to high-quality careers and professions. Young people who lack solid English language skills often see their opportunities limited. Additionally, while the UK’s rich variety of accents and dialects is increasingly reflected across industry and in the media, it is sadly the case that sometimes a person’s accent can unfairly see them “excluded from specific opportunities”. At The Dream Trust (UK), we believe everyone deserves an opportunity no matter their accent or language ability, so we provide support and resources (such as interview training), to help young people overcome such barriers.

Disability

Because people with disabilities often need to navigate the world differently, they can experience unfair discrimination and are too often denied the opportunities and outcomes non-disabled people take for granted, particularly in education and employment. In the UK, disabled people are three times more likely than other citizens to be without a job yet wishing to work. Our range of services helps disabled people access support, particularly in education and employment, such as CV writing, interview training, and advice and information about government support and grants.

Mental health

Leaving school with good skills and qualifications is vital for young people to get a successful start in life, but this is much harder if someone suffers from untreated mental health problems. 10 per cent of 5-16-year-olds have a clinically diagnosable mental health problem that can cause poor concentration, distractibility, inability to retain information, poor peer relationships, and aggressive behaviour. This damages a young person’s education, which may then negatively impact their employment opportunities – contributing to a high rate of unemployment amongst people with mental health problems. We work with partner charities to provide young people who have mental health problems with advice, guidance, and support throughout and following education.

Gender

Discrimination based on gender is another huge challenge that negatively impacts the life chances of many people in our society. We work closely with charities that focus on gender-based discrimination to increase opportunities for women, transgender, and nonbinary people who have found themselves the subject of gender-based discrimination

Sexuality

Many LGBTQ+ people experience discrimination due to their sexual orientation, including bullying, ostracization and even violence. A young person growing up in the face of such challenges may resultingly suffer from lower educational outcomes and come to lack important social skills and self-confidence. Even in the world of work, LGBTQ+ individuals may find it harder to access opportunities, with gay men shown to earn less than their heterosexual counterparts. We work with charities that increase access to opportunities amongst LGBTQ+ people, as well as providing careers help, and connecting young people with LGBTQ+ influencers who can act as role models.