Foundation geared towards helping young people in Jamaica and the UK

Jamaica-born English football star Raheem Sterling has officially launched his new foundation, which is focused on helping young people from Jamaica and the United Kingdom (UK) achieve their full potential.

The Raheem Sterling Foundation is on an inspirational mission to educate, empower and inspire young people while encouraging them to embrace opportunities to achieve greater social mobility.

The foundation has a particular focus on communities in Jamaica and the UK, where Sterling has deep roots.

The foundation has already announced its first major partnership with Headspace to provide education about mental health to young people, and The Promise Foundation to provide mentorship to students at Ark Elvin Academy in Brent, where the Manchester City football star attended secondary school.

In fact, Sterling went back to his former secondary school to launch the foundation and take students on a one-mile walk to Wembley Stadium to learn about his story – starting from the inner-city community of Marverley in St Andrew, Jamaica to the future he envisions.

The Raheem Sterling Foundation is inspired by ‘The Power of 7’ – a reference to the footballer’s squad number and seven values that will form the basis of the foundation’s work: education, employment, enterprise, creativity, personal development, accountability and social mobility.

Speaking on the foundation’s launch, Sterling remarked: “My journey to date has been well documented but nothing would have been achievable without belief, family, great mentors and the opportunities I have embraced. My foundation is built on my experiences, successes and the many challenges I overcame. I now want to help young people achieve and be the best they can be.”