City Gateway is a charity that was started in 1999, dedicated to bringing hope to the local communities of London.
A key part of its mission is to transform the lives of children, young people and women impacted by social and economic disadvantage, exploitation and significant polarisation with wider society. With a population of over 8 million and an estimated GDP of £480 billion, London is regularly ranked as one of the top 5 richest cities in the world. Yet it is estimated that over 2 million (28%) are trapped in a cycle of economic and social disadvantage.
With a goal of enabling London’s communities to flourish – socially and economically – City Gateway provides safe, sustainable and meaningful programmes that foster cohesive community and help individuals into long-term education and employment. As part of this, their service offering is tailored to support the needs of children, young people and women, in helping them to realise their potential.
Run by Eddie Stride, a Cypriot living in East London, City Gateway has seen consistent growth since it was started. Eddie Stride, who spent most of his youth in East London, had the opportunity to attend University in Cambridge- and upon graduating, had a number of options he could pursue including working for a bank or management consultancy. Instead he decided to go back to East London and dedicate his time to supporting the many young people and women in his local area, by facilitating youth work and education, and by building partnerships with many of the big corporations operating in London. Eddie’s sister Suzy Stride also works at the charity as well as a number of other Cypriots. A number of the students at City Gateway are also from Cyprus.
A huge part of their success has been through offering Apprenticeship training and working with corporate partners to provide Apprenticeship job roles. Now, over 75% of their Apprentices secure permanent employment at the end of their Apprenticeship.
Many of the young people City Gateway connects with are at risk of long-term unemployment, as well as gang violence, crime, drugs and sexual exploitation. Through a range of programmes, City Gateway helps them build the confidence and skills they need to overcome these risks and break the cycle of poverty. Practically speaking, this involves offering education and vocational training, and employing staff who are trained to offer extra support to the young people, who often have many needs.
Their work spans to supporting local women, children and families. Since 2007, City Gateway Women’s Project has helped local women to get into education or work, offering language teaching, skills training and childcare, to help tackle isolation by giving them a place to belong. The early intervention language courses they run, have equipped many local women – often from a variety of different backgrounds- with essential English language skills, to equip them to be socially mobile. City Gateway also supports families trapped in poverty and offers affordable high quality childcare to families to give children the best start in life and help parents secure employment.
The services offered by City Gateway help individuals to realise their potential, creating a cumulative effect which impacts the wider society and economy for the better.
The Key asks City Gateway wants to make of the Cypriot community are:
- Direct funding or donation for our front-line courses and services
- Paid or unpaid placements for our Apprentices (we provide the training, all you need to do is provide the placements)
- Sponsoring a new social enterprise to help provide jobs for young people
- Becoming a Patron so you can sponsor young people & help change their lives
- Your Staff volunteering at City Gateway