Youth engagement and Social Impact returns discussed in today’s SIB News
Cabinet Office hires Ecorys to evaluate the Youth Engagement Fund
Consultancy.uk
Cabinet Office has hired Ecorys to evaluate its £16 million payment by results Youth Engagement Fund. The evaluation will take a multifaceted approach, from case studies to group comparisons.
The number of youth not in employment, education or training (NEETs) in the UK remains stubbornly high. Young people caught in neither work nor employment risk becoming trapped there, and are more likely than other groups to becoming long term benefit dependents, have low employability prospects and become offenders.
To tackle the issue, a number of initiatives have been put forward, including the £16 million payment by results Youth Engagement Fund.
The fund is operated through social impact bonds (SIBs), and is co-founded by a range of government bodies, including the Cabinet Office, Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The fund is targeted at 14 to 17 year olds, and aims to boost their participation in education or training, as well as improve their overall wellbeing.
Investing In Social-Impact As Well As For Returns
Mike Kennedy – The Chronicle Herald
Most people don’t put much thought into how they invest their savings.
If you asked the average Bluenoser where their investment dollars are going, you are likely to receive an indifferent reply: “RRSPs, GICs, mutual funds.”
Planning for retirement, or investing in general, seems to be an afterthought for many, with little regard for where their dollars are being parked. The basic approach of many investment managers is relatively simple — make a maximum financial return at an acceptable level of risk for the client.
What if we were to be more inquisitive about where our money is going?
I believe the largest shift we’ll see over the next 10 years will be an expanded view of what is important to investors; they will put less weight on financial returns and risk and more on the impact of their investment. I’m not alone in this belief.
I recently spoke with Lars Boggild of Purpose Capital to learn more about a growing movement toward impact investing. Purpose Capital is, per their website, an impact investment advisory firm that focuses on “mobilizing all forms of capital to accelerate social progress.” In layman’s terms, they work with people to help them invest in a way that achieves both a financial return and a social impact, such as reducing carbon footprint, alleviating poverty, or improving education.