South Yorkshire businesses are being encouraged to use their time and skills to create better opportunities for care-experienced young people in Rotherham.

It follows a special social value event hosted by South Yorkshire’s Giving Network (SYGN) event at Affinity 2020 CIC, on Wellgate.

The event brought together businesses and individuals from across Rotherham, Barnsley, Doncaster and Sheffield who are part of SYGN to explore how collectively they can help support young people leaving care.

Attendees heard first-hand from two young people about the difference the right support can make - Leo and Kaylen – who are both apprentices at Affinity.

Leo, who has worked at Affinity for four years, said: “Through Affinity I got the support I needed. It’s so rewarding now being able to use my experience to give back and help other young people coming through the system.

“The biggest thing I’ve learnt is business knowledge, but also seeing young people go through the system and knowing we're helping them makes me really happy.”

A young woman sat down

With the support of Affinity, apprentice Kaylen is passing exams and supporting other young care leavers.

Kaylen said: “It’s amazing to have Affinity to help me go through everything I’ve been through. I can also help the young people coming through because I’ve been through it myself.

“I've always wanted to be a teacher and Affinity is helping me realise that dream. They do amazing things for young people and they genuinely care.”

 

Affinity was established during Covid. The organisation currently works with around 20 young people.

The CIC provides a range of support, including post-16 education for care-experienced young people with Education, Health and Care Plans, Preparing for Adulthood (PFA) sessions for 16–25-year-olds, and employment pathways designed to help young people move towards careers.

The PFA programme is funded by South Yorkshire’s Community Foundation (SYCF) and provides practical support ranging from driving lessons and bus passes to clothing, food and help preparing for adult life.

Charlotte added: “Just 2% of care-experienced young people take up apprenticeships, while care-experienced people are significantly overrepresented within the prison population.

“We started Affinity because we believe every young person needs somebody they have an affinity with - somebody who will hold hope for them when they can’t hold it for themselves.

Businesses have a huge opportunity to be part of the solution. It isn’t always about giving money. It's about giving young people an opportunity, sharing expertise, opening doors and showing them what is possible.

 

A lady talking to a room of people sat down
A group of men and women talking
A young man sat in a chair

The event was organised through South Yorkshire’s Giving Network, a social value network of businesses and individuals created by SYCF who want to contribute their time and expertise to their local communities.

Two roundtable discussions, led by Charlotte and Affinity’s Work and Enterprise Manager Jackie Freeborn, explored practical ways businesses could support care-experienced young people.

Martin McKervey, Rotherham Lead for South Yorkshire's Giving Network and Director at AESSEAL, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Kaylen and Leo for sharing their lives with us in such a human and honest way. The resilience they’ve shown is incredible.

“It is sobering to hear that only 2% of care-experienced young people are in apprenticeships. This is a challenge we should all be thinking about as a business community.

The Giving Network gives us an opportunity to come together and help young people become the best versions of themselves. And it isn’t always about money. One of the most important things we can give is our time.

 

The event also highlighted the progress South Yorkshire’s Giving Network has made during 2026.

Michelle Dickinson, Deputy CEO and Head of Partnerships and Programmes at South Yorkshire's Community Foundation, said: “Throughout 2026 we've seen businesses come together to share their time, resources and connections to support communities across South Yorkshire at a series of SYGN events, which is just incredible.

There is such kindness in the Giving Network. People taking time out of their working day simply to listen, learn and ask what they could do help. Now the challenge is to bring even more businesses into that conversation.

 

“Hearing directly from Kaylen and Leo brought the issues to life and showed what can happen when a young person is given the right opportunity and somebody believes in them.”

If you've been inpsired by the stories of Leo and Kaylen and woould like to find out more about joining our network, get in touch. 

The next South Yorkshire Giving Network is the 2026 Celebration at Henry Boot on Thursday 26 November.

SYGN Celebration event

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Meet Michelle

Michelle leads strategic partnerships to connect giving with community need across the region. Since joining in 2019, she has played a key role in major funding initiatives, including flood appeals and cost-of-living support, helping to raise over £2.5 million for South Yorkshire communities.
Her working days are Monday to Friday.

Michelle Dickinson

Deputy CEO and Head of Partnerships and Programmes

0114 261 5144

mdickinson@sycf.org.uk

Michelle Dickinson