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Supporting every young person in Reading to be…

 
 

Leading with CONFIDENCE…

 
 

Learning with PURPOSE...

 
 

Living with JOY

What is ARCH

ARCH is a hub bringing together individuals and organisations across Reading to offer opportunities and learning experiences to young people and young women in particular.

ARCH in numbers

50

organisations involved so far

30

schools taking part in 2024 so far

200

primary age children from 40 schools have learnt to play a new sport

350

PLUS volunteer hours have been donated from business’, community organisations and expert individuals

4000

senior students attended talks by leading women

2500

people viewed national exhibitions celebrating ‘Women in Sport' and ‘100 Years of Women at the Bar’ on exclusive loan to ARCH

30000

people viewed an exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery delivered as a student and Reading community collaboration

What we do

The Abbey’s ARCH programme delivers showcase, bespoke, interactive careers events that give students direct access to leaders in their fields. Our themed ‘in conversation with’ style talks and panels are elevated by hands-on workshops and breakout sessions allowing students to have truly impactful experiences, enlightening their future career paths.

Through ARCH we have hosted events exploring law, entrepreneurship, GB Sport, construction, music, broadcasting, finance, engineering, writing and scientific research from pharmaceutical Nanoscience to Venom Pharmacology – which included the opportunity to hold live snakes! We strive for memorable and creative ways to maximise impact.

ARCH redefines careers advice for today’s world, pushing boundaries and opportunity to deepen understanding of options, achieving this in innovative and truly impactful ways.

Clare Balding explains why she is an advocate for the ARCH programme

Event Supporters

How it works

Schools come together to design events, connect with partners and get young people involved. Depending on the event schools might spread the word to families or bring students themselves. All ARCH activities use innovative community connections to develop aspiration and self-discovery.