The First Campus partnership has consolidated its involvement with schools and communities to focus and interact with young people, their families and adults in Communities First areas across SE Wales; it must be noted that the partnership has a large proportion of the 185 Community First wards concentrated within and around the two major cities and the Heads of the Valleys area in its region. 

During the 2008-2010 funding period First Campus has made significant progress working directly with Community First Officers.  In collaboration with Youth Workers and Managers at CF Community Centres in the inner cities and Heads of the Valleys area, First Campus has been instrumental in rolling out a series of ‘out of school hours’ projects aimed at engaging young people and their family in some projects, for example, a catering project; bespoke animation and music rap workshops that have predominantly engaged “Young White Males” from the Community First area.

Establishing a relationship of trust and respect with young people and their families from disadvantaged areas in their own environment has proved beneficial in helping them feel safe and enthusiastic about engaging in subsequent activities in FE and HE environments.   First Campus will therefore continue to work closely with the identified Communities First schools, Communities First officers, voluntary groups and youth centres within the partnership, building on the good relations it has developed.

The programme of activities will concentrate in the main on Communities First areas. Building on the knowledge gained from previous years; input from the schools, community/voluntary groups, youth workers and programme facilitators, the activity programmes are focused on development and progression, allowing participants from key targeted schools to access HEIs a number of times throughout the year thus increasing hours of engagement per student/ adult. The activity programme will continue to be of a high quality standard; innovative and inspiring to all those who participate.

First Campus works with the regional Social Service Looked After Teams towards supporting Children in Care throughout the partnership. It should be noted that all partner universities now have the Frank Buttle Mark. First Campus will continue to support this remit working with Social Services and the Fostering Network to offer tailored activities programmes.

First Campus will continue to promote and implement designated programmes for supporting ethnic minorities to include refugees, asylum seekers and migrant workers to link to progression routes into HE.   First Campus will advise relevant Race and Equality Officers about Black Minority Ethnic activity, contributing to the race and equality action plans of each university and sharing good practice.