Six ways to take part

Arise fits schools, youth groups and community partners in different ways:

• Spark: a single 60 to 90 minute session on staying safe, life online, substances or aspiration
• Arise Day: a one-day workshop
• 6-week taster: a condensed version of the programme
• Core programme: our flagship 10-week course of 90-minute sessions, which can also run over 8 or 12 weeks
• 5-day intensive: a holiday programme with a trip and a showcase
• One-to-one mentoring: an ongoing relationship with a trained mentor

The core programme

Ten sessions in three phases:

• Engage (weeks 1–3): welcome and belonging; identity, values and worth; choices, consequences and pressure
• Address (weeks 4–7): staying safe from violence, gangs and exploitation; substances and risk; life online; emotions and resilience
• Rise (weeks 8–10): aspiration, goals and pathways; money and enterprise; leadership and celebration

Themes will be refined using what the community tells us. The three phases and our safeguarding standards stay fixed.

Listening first

Before we launch, our Community Needs Survey is gathering views from young people, parents and carers, and teachers, youth workers and faith and community leaders. It is anonymous and built with consent and safeguarding for under-18s, and its findings shape what we deliver.

What we value

• Faith-led, not faith-restricted. Rooted in Christian conviction about the dignity of every person, and open to young people of all faiths and none.
• Relationship first. Change happens through trusted, consistent relationships.
• Prevention over reaction. We reach young people early and stay for the long term.
• Community-owned. We build on local strengths and voices rather than imposing from outside.

Keeping young people safe

Safeguarding comes before every other objective. Before any young person is engaged, we will have a Designated Safeguarding Lead in post, a written safeguarding policy, and enhanced DBS checks and safeguarding training for everyone who works with young people. Arise is not a crisis service and works alongside schools, families and statutory services, not instead of them.

The show

Every episode is one road, one story, one person who built it from the ground up. Guests talk about what they actually do, where the spark came from, what got in the way, and the concrete advice they'd give a 16-year-old who wants to follow them.

Every episode ends with the same question: "What did you have to build in yourself before you could build anything else?"

Why it sits in the foundation

Groundwork is the foundation's media arm. The professionals who share their stories are also the mentors and role models Arise needs, so every episode helps build a pipeline of people who show up for young people in person.

First series

• Aerospace engineering
• Finance and venture capital
• Neuroscience
• AI and technology
• Architecture
• Law and policy

Sponsor a child's access

Many families have a phone but can't pay for good learning content. Level 1 gives a child a year of:

• Arkina Kids: illustrated stories and short videos from around the world for ages 3 to 12, read together with a parent or carer
• Learn with Ariko: learning games and lessons covering reading, maths, science, languages and more

The apps are being built for the languages children speak at home:

Equip a rural school

Where families don't have devices, we'll work through schools and community centres:

• Shared learning devices with content preloaded, so they work offline
• Solar charging, so lessons don't stop when the power does
• Simple guidance for teachers
• Regular check-ins to make sure devices are used and still working

Schools and communities

We'd like to hear from schools and children's groups working with children aged about 3 to 12, especially in rural areas. Tell us roughly how many children you work with, their ages and languages, and whether you have power and internet. You don't need every answer yet.

How it will work

The model

A hub-and-spoke network. Each hub clinic is led by a doctor, with a laboratory, pharmacy and room for minor procedures. Around it, smaller primary pods staffed by community health workers and visiting nurses bring care into villages, and refer anyone who needs more to the hub.

Care for the whole community

• Everyday primary care: consultations, check-ups, tests and medicines
• Vaccinations, health education and screening
• Referral to hospital when someone needs more specialist care
• Simple digital records that work offline

A key focus: mothers and newborns

Pregnancy and the first weeks of life are where distance to care costs most. Every clinic will offer antenatal check-ups, including ultrasound and early warning of high-risk pregnancies, and postnatal care for mother and baby.

Where we'll start

Zimbabwe first, working with the Ministry of Health and Child Care, provincial health teams and local partners, then other communities facing the same gaps. Care will be free to patients and funded by grants and partners. We'll publish the full plan once it has been reviewed by health professionals and our trustees.

Where it started

The Ndlovu Foundation was started by Jabu Ndlovu, whose family has roots in Zimbabwe and South Africa. After more than 14 years in HR and people leadership, Jabu has seen what people can do when someone believes in them, and how much talent is lost when no one does.

How we work

• Listen before we act. Communities tell us what they need.
• Representation matters. Young people need to see people like them succeeding.
• Safe by design. Safeguarding comes before everything else.
• Open about money. No donations until we're registered, and clear reporting after.

Our link with Arkina

The Arkina Kids and Learn with Ariko apps are made by Arkina Studios, part of Arkina Holdings. The foundation is a separate charity with its own trustees, so support given to children goes to children. Any decision involving Arkina is taken by trustees with no connection to it.