NatWest has announced a new partnership with football star Marcus Rashford to co-create a programme to engage with young people planning for their futures.
The programme is designed to support young people in communities across the UK and connect them with role-models that can mentor and inspire success, with the aim of helping them to achieve their goals.
After three months of speaking to community and youth leaders, NatWest and Rashford will seek to reach out to young people and pilot the programme in select youth clubs in Manchester and London this Easter, to inform a national roll-out.
Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford, MBE, said: “When I approached NatWest with the idea of collaboration, I was assured very quickly that I would always have a voice at the table. It wasn’t enough for me to simply put my name and face to an existing programme, we needed to get out into underserved communities and understand if the programme was really being delivered as effectively as it could be.
“We need to break down boundaries, particularly where it relates to the perception of a bank and who they are catering for and engage these children through creative programming that they can relate to. The pilot roll-out will be another opportunity to gather insight so that we are confident the programme is being delivered with the maximum results. And just to be clear, this is not about educating communities how to manage their money, this is about engaging children to get excited about planning for their futures.”
Alison Rose, CEO, NatWest Group, added: “I’m very proud to announce we are partnering and co-creating with Marcus Rashford to seek to address the needs of children and families, and help ensure all children can thrive, regardless of their background. Listening to community and youth workers, we know many young people and their families see money as something to worry about, instead of as a positive tool for them to thrive – that’s something we must seek to change.”
