"We have been able to double the number of students and considerably enhance our workshops through our collaboration with the Footwork team."
Sarah Phillips, Head of Education at Open City
Open City Accelerate
Accelerate is a pioneering design, education and mentoring programme providing access to a wider pool of young people and increasing diversity in the built environment professions.
Open City is a charity dedicated to making London and its architecture more open, accessible and equitable. Accelerate recruits young Londoners from under-represented groups who want to know more about training and working in the Built Environment sector. In the year-long course they learn about architecture and design, giving them the skills and confidence to break into this world.
What did we fund?
Footwork stepped in with the funds to enable the expansion of a second university hub at Central Saint Martins (UAL).
What value did we see in this project?
Open City shares our vision for resilient, equitable communities, in which people are able to reach their full potential. Their Accelerate programme not only brings the inaccessible world of architecture to a new, more diverse audience, it helps ensure that the built environment sector reflects the real world. Footwork is impressed by Accelerate’s collaborative approach, working alongside a wide range of architecture practices. At Footwork’s suggestion Open City also agreed to expand the Accelerate curriculum to include the social purpose and context of architecture.
What impact has our support had?
Funding from Footwork has allowed Open City to create a second branch of Accelerate, located at University College London, which has been hugely well received by students. As a result of participating in this programme, students have been able to gain greater cultural awareness and self-esteem, allowing them to develop a more robust sense of personal identity and resilience.
