A new IntoUniversity Centre, embedded in the heart of a Newcastle community, involves a unique collaboration between Northumbria University, Newcastle University, and IntoUniversity, a UK-based education charity, which aims to inspire young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to progress to Higher Education.

The Centre is the first in the North East. It is based at Monkchester Community Centre in the East End of Newcastle and is the first INTOUniversity Centre involving two universities in the same city.

Supporting young people aged between 7-18, the Centre provides invaluable academic support, soft-skill development, and career support to enable young people to achieve a university place or another chosen aspiration. It benefits over 1,000 students a year, through the delivery of after-school academic support sessions, aspiration-building workshops and a mentoring programme supported by current university students and professionals.

IntoUniversity takes a unique approach by providing local learning centres in disadvantaged communities. Since its founding in 2002, IntoUniversity has established an extensive national network of high-quality, local learning centres where young people are inspired to achieve. Newcastle upon Tyne is the next location in that vision.

On average more than 1000 students from disadvantaged communities per year will benefit from the Centre, which provides three main forms of support to students aged 7 to 18:

• Individual one-to-one academic support to help with school homework, course work and exam revision.
• A FOCUS programme involving subject based aspiration and awareness raising workshops.
• Mentoring support providing positive role models from both organisations and university students.

How can you help?

A donation of;

• £10 per month will provide a student with a place on our Secondary FOCUS programme;
• £25 per month will enable a student to take part in our award-winning Primary FOCUS week;
• £50 per month will enable a class of up to 25 primary students to take part in a “What is a University?” workshop;
• £100 per month will enable a class of up to 25 secondary students to take part in one of our workshops;
• £250 per month will provide 8 students with a full year of after-school Academic Support sessions.