1Team Giving Back – Head Held High

At Synergy Learning, building connections and caring about our communities are key to our culture. This is why we have a Giving Back strategy that includes charity donations from Synergy Learning suggested by our own team. We ask our 1Teamers to nominate charities of their choice which are then put to a vote. This year we are proud to have supported Hope For Youth NI, The Compassionate Friends and the RNLI. 

This month, we chose to focus on the incredible work done by Head Held High – a non-profit organisation founded by Tash Alexander that empowers young people from challenging backgrounds. Their mission is to empower young people at risk of exclusion or affiliation with youth violence to reveal the courage to take new action and thrive in their lives.

Head Held High: Empowering young people at risk

Developer Amanda Doughty brought Head Held High to our attention as a long-term supporter of the remarkable work they do. With connections to East London where the non-profit was previously located, she felt it was important that we chose an organisation with values that align so closely with ours at Synergy Learning.

“Head Held High was an obvious choice of nomination for me,” she says. “I’ve been to the previous Comedy Store fundraising events, and have been very moved by Tash’s passion, commitment and gratitude. She does important work in the community I grew up in, and I know that the donation will make a real difference to some young lives and the lives of people whose paths they cross.”

When we spoke to Tash Alexander, she noted that there is currently an epidemic of knife crime in the UK that stems from challenging backgrounds and negative lifestyle patterns. This is why she strives to engage with young people affected, to help them take positive action from day one and break through the cycle of violent behaviours.

“I set this organisation up 11 years ago because I was aware of how so many young people were at risk,” says Tash. “They were often excluded from mainstream classes, lashing out when actually inside they just felt hurt and uncared for. This is why we work directly with these young people, running workshops and providing counsellors as an adult to talk to – they might not have ever felt listened to before. The whole aim is to prevent exclusion, keep young people in our schools and break through past actions to help them transform their lives for the better.”

Building better futures

The mission of Head Held High is to create pathways for young people to achieve longer term success in the areas of wellbeing, education and employment. This is something that resonates with Synergy Learning’s mission to empower people to realise their true potential through the power of learning.

As part of our Giving Back initiative, we donated £3,750 to Head Held High to help them continue the important work that they do. As a small non-profit organisation, they rely on donations and winning bids to help them reach young people in need. Fundraising activities such as their Comedy Store event in September are one of the ways they raise crucial funds.

“Our events are about laughter for a critical cause,” says Tash. “Corporate funding like this is important  – our young people at risk need us so badly at the moment. Schools want us but we can not get in there due to the lack of funding.”

Through donations and ticket sales, this means Head Held High can continue to run workshops and engage with schools to transform young people’s lives for the better. So far, they’ve helped over 1,000 young people up to the age of 25 who are at risk of exclusion, lacking in direction or affiliated with youth violence. 

Get involved

The good news is that you can help support Head Held High while having fun in the process! On 16th September 2024, Head Held High will be hosting their Comedy Store event in London – so if you’re in the area then, they have a brilliant line-up of comedy talent all in aid of a good cause.

“Tash Alexander  brought me in on her comedy workshops to help people ‘find the funny’ in their troubles, which is a really good way for people to use their painful experiences and turn it into something positive,” says Tom Ward, who hosts the Comedy Store events. “She does brilliant work and seems to have infinite time and love for anyone who needs her. These yearly gigs are always fantastic and I love hosting them.”

In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about how we’re giving back, as well as other 1Team initiatives and how you could be part of 1Team, take a look at our Careers page.

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