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Hopeland is delighted to join the #ENDViolence campaign and to endorse the vital policy proposals. Together we aim to end all violence against children, worldwide.

Through the Together to #ENDviolence Leaders’ Statement, senior leaders from across sectors and continents are using the power of our collective voice to call for these game-changing policy proposals.

A message from Hopeland’s Co-Founder & CEO

We are proud to have joined more than 50 other leading names in the child’s rights movement including Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO and many others in signing the Leaders’ Statement and joined hundreds of other global organizations in supporting the policy proposals shown in the image below.

In support of this effort, Hopeland’s Co-Founder & CEO, Nicholas Evans said: “Hopeland’s mission is to create a world where every child lives in a safe, loving family – this cannot happen unless we #ENDViolence and so we are proud to endorse the Leaders’ Statement and vital policy proposals. By working together we can truly make change for children!”

One billion children worldwide face violence every year and the COVID-19 pandemic has only made this worse. Almost 2 billion children have had violence protection and response services interrupted by the pandemic. Furthermore the economic impact of this crisis has caused a “perfect storm” for violence against children – something we must work together to remedy.

This is a critical moment for the world’s children. Without acting urgently we risk losing a generation of children to the long-term impacts of violence and abuse that will undermine child safety, health, learning and development long after the pandemic subsides. We cannot let that happen.

Hopeland’s mission is to support efforts that allow children to live safe lives where they can thrive – that is why we have joined this campaign.

We urge leaders in government, the private sector, and all communities with responsibility for children to seize the moment and be champions of this agenda in their countries. Our leaders must prioritize protecting children by working together to deliver six game-changing actions to end violence against children:

Ban all forms of violence against children by 2030

Equip parents and caregivers to keep children safe

Make the internet safe for children

Make schools safe, non-violent and inclusive

Protect children from violence in humanitarian settings

More investment, better spent

You can read more about each policy proposal and what the End Violence Against Children Campaign is doing to help children at the links above.

Today our news feeds seem like they are always full of stories of despair – the pandemic, conflict around the world, climate change, and many other pressing issues can cause a sense of dread. Hopeland, and our platform for action and advocacy, is fueled however by a desire to share messages of hope with you all.

In that spirit we are thrilled to announce our partnership with New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services and our friends at New Yorkers For Children to create an innovative program for youth in foster care in New York City.

Our program, TechLink, is one of the first ever public-private partnerships to provide coding classes, tech immersion, and career planning for older youth in foster care – a group that Hopeland is focused on helping as we deliver our mission of ensuring every child has a safe, loving family.

TechLink provides coding classes, tech immersion, and career planning for older youth in foster care

Built upon the existing Code Next program Hopeland has partnered with Google to provide youth in foster care with a unique experience that includes other career and college planning support. The initial cohort of high school students has received career path planning education, mentoring and programming that will help them develop a pathway towards a successful STEM career.

In its pilot stage TechLink was launched in January 2021 and has already proven to be a vital program that provides an incredible experience to older youth in foster care. As a result of our program our youth are more empowered and less at risk.

Hopeland is committed to improving the lives of youth in this situation here in the U.S. because, historically, teenagers in the foster care system who eventually age out having never found an adoptive family to care for them have been less likely to graduate, more likely to face homelessness during their lives, and generally more likely to face difficulties. It is our hope that by creating programs like TechLink we can change the direction of these statistics. It is so important that we do everything we can to help these young people and ensure they can thrive.

In the words of our Co-Founder, Deborra-lee Furness, “Hopeland was created to not only give a voice to young people and families but also to take action to deliver our vision of a world where every child has a safe, loving family. I’m over the moon to see Hopeland launch this innovative and exciting program to help young people in NYC thrive!”

Fortunately, even though the problems faced by some young people aging out of foster care have only gotten worse during the pandemic, our programming has made an even more significant impact on the lives of youth by ensuring that they continue to learn, stay connected and advance their aspirational goals.

Although we were unable to hold lessons in person at the program’s state of the art tech lab in the heart of NYC, TechLink has been provided virtually throughout 2021 – impacting the work the youth were able to do and the opportunities that were open to them.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, TechLink has taken place virtually since its launch

In spite of the odds, and thanks to the incredible leadership of the TechLink staff, the students have performed amazingly well and delivered some incredible achievements which were displayed at the end of semester presentation. The students have coded their own websites, created YouTube videos and podcasts, and learnt so much more. We can’t wait to see what else they achieve!

Students have said it is great to see women of color in leadership roles and teachers who “look like me”. We know how important it is for young people to have role models they can look up to and how valuable this is in the impact of our program.

A new $100,000 grant allows us to expand the program and add stipends for youth participating in the program

We are also delighted to tell you that we have secured $100,000 in additional funding for the program to allow Techlink to expand in Fall of 2021 and to include a stipend for the youth who are participating. We hope this extra element of TechLink will ensure that every young person who is enrolled in the program not only benefits from the program but also gets some financial help in these difficult times.

We will be sure to share more updates with you as the program expands. TechLink is a great example of the incredible achievements that are possible when we work together with our partners to deliver for children and families around the world who need our help.

Hopeland’s focus on impact and innovation in delivering TechLink as part of our platform for action and advocacy has been key in creating this program that is benefiting youth in NYC today. If you want to learn more about our work please follow us on social media and sign up to support us at our website.

Having been deeply impacted by the ongoing crisis in Syria, the British rock band Coldplay were prompted to write the lead single from their latest album, a song called “Orphans” which received significant praise. 

Chris Martin told the BBC at the time of the song’s release about his inspiration for writing the song that, “It seems to me that one of the things that might help people have a better time is to put themselves in other people’s shoes, whether that’s these kids who have to leave Syria, or who grew up in Baltimore, or whatever it might be. Rather than judging from afar, maybe to  think ‘I wonder what it’s like to be there.” We of course completely agree with this powerful message!

The Official Video for ‘Orphans’ by Coldplay, which features Hopeland

The music video for the track featured Hopeland in recognition of the support that Coldplay have for our mission of ensuring every child has a safe, loving home.

Coldplay supports Hopeland’s work through the song ‘Orphans’

Through our work with the band we are pleased to let you know the significant impact that their goodwill has had on our cause.

Coldplay generously donated 10% of the worldwide proceeds from the song to Hopeland and our work to benefit vulnerable children. An incredible donation that helps us continue our vital mission.

Coldplay’s original manager and “fifth member” of the band, Phil Harvey tweeted his support earlier this year saying they were “proud to support Hopeland’s life changing work with children who are separated from their families, through this song.”

You can still sing and dance along to the music video knowing that thanks in part to the generosity of Coldplay our mission and work continues.