The London Enterprise Office

7th April 2009

"You can be young and Muslim, you can be young and black, you can be young and white working class and the seduction of knives, of extremism, in whatever nature, places you at risk...But you can intervene, make a difference, come alongside that young person and completely change lives."

These were the words of David Lammy MP, Minister of State for Higher Education and Intellectual Property, when he visited London Met co-run Student Leadership Project to meet with participating students.

The Minister continued "all young people have dreams they want to achieve. It’s just unlocking that talent, giving the confidence, giving the support and establishing often a new sense of community."

The Student Leadership Project was launched by UK charity Youth at Risk in partnership with London Metropolitan University, Thames Valley University and the University of Bedfordshire. Funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, the scheme aims to unlock students’ leadership potential and engender a sense of community.

46 students are currently taking part in the pilot where they receive intensive personal development training and one to one coaching. They will go on to design and deliver leadership projects to benefit either their University campus or the local community. It is hoped that participants will become inspiring role-models within their communities, passing on their knowledge and experiences to their peers.

During his visit the Minister sat in on a workshop and took part in a question and answer session with students.

Ellie Garraway, Youth at Risk's Head of Operations said: "The training and performance coaching that form an integral part of this programme encourage students to look beyond previous limitations and create a successful future both during their studies and beyond." There will be a full external evaluation after the first pilot year of the Student Leadership Project to determine the potential to roll the scheme out to other institutions.