Supporting the Firefly Project, a new initiative focused on children and young people living in poverty

Rory and Elizabeth are delighted to be supporters of Quintessentially Foundation’s Firefly Project, and Rory currently also serves as Chair of Quintessentially Foundation.  

The Firefly Project is a new initiative launched in 2022 and focused on children and young people living in poverty. The first five charities selected were chosen following a rigorous selection and due diligence process and all demonstrate the qualities and potential to be scaled up and ensure their life-changing services reach even more children and young people.

The Kids Network supports children at a crucial time in their lives as they transition from primary into secondary school. They do this by providing them with a volunteer mentor from their London community. As a result of the programme: 94% of children reported feeling more confident, 82% were excited to go to school, and 76% were making positive choices for themselves. The Firefly Project will support the expansion of this work into new schools and new boroughs across London.

2020 Change is a youth empowerment organisation that works with out-of-work young Black people, many of them graduates who are the first in their families to go to university. Through the 10-week ‘I Am Change’ programme, 2020 Change equips them with the skills and mindset to make a successful transition from education to employment. Between 2016 and 2020, the charity worked with 450 young people. The Firefly Project will enable them to work with +400 annually.

Little Village redistributes clothes, toys and equipment for babies and children up to the age of five. The families supported are often dealing with challenging circumstances like homelessness, unemployment, low wages, and domestic violence. Families are referred via a network of about 2,000 professionals from 500+ organisations such as midwives, social workers and children’s centres. The Firefly Project will support their plans to grow their reach from 4,500 referrals a year to +14,000 by 2024.

Team Up uses tuition, delivered by inspirational role models, to enable pupils from low-income backgrounds to meaningfully increase their academic attainment, in order to improve the choices open to them. 75% of the highest-income quintile of pupils gain 5 ‘good’ GCSEs (A*-C), compared to 21% of the lowest-income quintile. Education is the key to social mobility, and research suggests that regular small-group tuition is one of the most effective ways of accelerating a child’s academic progress. 

Doorstep Library is a community-focused charity dedicated to bringing the gift of books and the joy of reading directly into the homes of children across London who need its support. With one in four 11-year-olds leaving primary school unable to read or write properly, it recruits and trains home and online reading volunteers to go into some of the most disadvantaged areas in London to help introduce young children (aged 0-11 years) to the pleasure of reading.