Forest of Hearts join Kickstart Scheme

At the start of October, we welcomed a new Forest of Hearts team member who came to us through the Government-launched Kickstart Scheme programme for 16-24 year-olds. The aim of the scheme is to help young people who are currently in receipt of Universal Credit into employment. The programme offers six-month long, fully paid work placements with a contract of at least 25 hours per week.

Through the Kickstart Scheme, we have hired Luca, a 24 year-old from Warwick:

 “I felt lucky to have found this opportunity through the Kickstart Scheme after a long search for work, especially as I had already found out about the Forest of Hearts through their social media and being completely onboard with their general mission and ethos. The outdoor, hands-on nature of the role massively appealed to me (though I had barely any previous gardening experience) and these elements have definitely proved to be a highlight. Helping to run the Green Therapy volunteer groups on a Tuesday and Friday has also been an excellent experience”.

“The best thing is that I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about plants and gain knowledge about things I’m interested in. The role has been more wide-ranging than I expected and I feel as though I can hone my skills in a number of areas here, from the practical side of gardening to the theoretical, while learning about the environmental impact of everything we do. It’s also great to feel like I’m part of a team where we’re all working towards the same goals.

So far Luca has been:

•   Assisting with our Green Therapy group

•   Helping with day-to-day tasks and general maintenance of our Stratford hospital site: planting, watering, weeding, potting, strimming, etc.

•   Creating a planting plan for the year’s activity

•   Participating in meetings and webinars

•   Fulfilling a role in our ‘Coaching for Wellbeing’ programme

Luca will soon be involved in the facilitation of our team-building events and helping with the creation of our five-acre site.

 We are proud to be enhancing the employability of individuals in the local community by offering work placements through the Kickstart Scheme, aiming to offer them a progression tailored to their interests and abilities.