EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION CAMPAIGN

IN CONVERSATION WITH CHANDRAN FOUNDATION

Tell us a little about your organisation.

The Chandran Foundation was founded 25 years ago by Cpt. Chandran MBE OBE upon his retirement. His work as CEO of Presentation Housing Association, the largest BAME-led housing association in the country, gave him a unique insight into the barriers to education and success that so many young people in this country faced, and still face today. Since then CF has been committed to empowering young people to reach their full potential.

We currently work with primary schools in London to provide targeted intervention to the children who need it most through nutritious breakfasts, extra tuition, and mental resilience training.

Give us an insight into your core values.

We believe that no circumstance should ever be allowed to be a barrier to education or success, and strive to support our beneficiaries in overcoming these barriers.

What are your objectives for 2023?

In 2023, we want to reach even more young people than ever before. On top of continuing to grow our GetSmarter, GetFed, and GetResilient programmes to expand out of the London bubble, the Chandran Foundation is developing a Placement Programme for secondary school students.

We aim to provide industry experience to secondary school girls in spaces that women have traditionally been excluded from. We will specifically target state-educated pupils. What we want to offer is translucency into industries that had previously been opaque and inaccessible.

We are focusing on Equality, diversity and inclusion - let us know how you are approaching this / how your company encompasses equality, diversity, and inclusion.

We are a female and POC-led organisation. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart and soul of everything we do.

Many of the schools we work with are in the highest quartile of deprivation in London. Our support helps to build confidence in learning, supporting transitions to secondary education. We primarily focus our intervention on children:

● From Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities

● For whom English is an additional language

● In receipt of free school meals

● On pupil premium

● Whose families have experienced pandemic and cost of living hardship and trauma.

When recruiting the undergraduate tutors who deliver our GetSmarter tuition, we take care to recruit individuals from similar backgrounds to the children we work with. This not only provides the pupils with excellent role-models, but also supports the undergraduates in their studies through reliable, well-paid work.

https://www.chandranfoundationuk.org