Khulisa & Impetus

The need: Children from disadvantaged backgrounds have, on average, weaker Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) skills at all ages. This can lead to poorer mental health, lower academic attainment and poorer employment outcomes. There is strong evidence to suggest that SEL interventions can lead to gains in academic performance.

Our portfolio partner: Khulisa works with marginalised young people at risk of exclusion who exhibit challenging behaviour, equipping them with the skills to regulate their emotions, relate positively to their peers and teachers, and reason effectively in the classroom. Their intensive Face It programme is aimed at improving young people’s social and emotional skills, and they deliver an SEL curriculum and trauma training to schools.

Our impact: We are working with Khulisa to enhance the long-term impact of their well-evidenced therapeutic programmes by driving high levels of performance and delivery quality. This work will enable them to deliver improved social and emotional skills that are sustained through time, while also evidencing their impact on educational outcomes like attendance and attainment. At the same time, we’re working with their leadership team to foster an effective and impact-driven team culture to support enduring sustainability.

Having Impetus by our side as we make bold decisions to increase our impact among young people on the brink of exclusion from school has been transformational for Khulisa. With their support we've redesigned our programme for longer lasting impact, strengthened our ability to capture and evaluate that impact, and diversified our income to support this work. We're thrilled to work with Impetus in the years ahead as we strive to support all young people to thrive in school and beyond.

Jodie Wickers, CEO, Khulisa