IntoUniversity North students gather around the European Cup with LFC CEO, Peter Moore, all-time LFC top goalscorer Ian Rush and members of the University, LFC Foundation and IntoUniversity North Liverpool
Alumni and friends recently attended an event to celebrate the completion of the University of Liverpool’s £300,000 fundraising campaign to support the IntoUniversity North Liverpool project in collaboration with Liverpool Football Club Foundation.
The University welcomed more than 90 guests including donors, alumni, staff and city partners to the IntoUniversity North Liverpool Celebration held at Anfield Stadium, with all-time leading LFC goal scorer, Ian Rush, and current CEO, Peter Moore, in attendance helping to mark the occasion.
The IntoUniversity North Liverpool centre is a collaboration between educational charity IntoUniversity, the University of Liverpool and the LFC Foundation, and was set up to help young people in Anfield aspire to do better at school and believe in their ability to get to university. In parts of North Liverpool where the centre operates, the higher education progression rate is as low as 17.5%, less than half the national average (37%).
Professor Fiona Beveridge, Executive Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and a former trustee on the Board at the LFC Foundation, described the commitment the University and Foundation share in helping young people: “We believe that every child should be supported to reach their full potential including support to prepare for and to access university if that’s right for them. IntoUniversity inspires young people while they’re still in school to dream big dreams and to work hard. But more importantly it also provides practical support and help particularly to those young people who are less able to access that support at school or at home.”
The project partners with a selection of primary and secondary schools in the Anfield area, supporting students aged 7 to 18, by providing after-school help with homework and one-to-one mentoring opportunities with University of Liverpool students, as well as delivering workshops on careers and university life.
Mollie, a student from Notre Dame Catholic College, who has attended the Centre for the past two years, described how the programme has helped her studies: “Without realising, academic support has pushed me to do lots of work that I have benefited from. While coming to academic support I have gained many new friends and memories, and have gained more confidence. Going to academic support has opened my eyes to opportunities and I’ve been given advice for the future that has helped me so much.”
Representatives from the University including Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education, Professor Gavin Brown and Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Civic Engagement, Professor Michael Parkinson were also in attendance, and discussed the importance of initiatives such as IntoUniversity North Liverpool for the University’s civic agenda. Professor Brown also launched the new fundraising programme ‘Passports to Possibilities’, an initiative to enable students who might otherwise be denied the opportunity due to financial or social barriers, the chance to access summer study abroad.
For more information about IntoUniversity North Liverpool, please visit: https://intouniversity.org/intouniversity-north-liverpool
For more information on how donations can make a difference please visit: www.liverpool.ac.uk/giving