0:00:10 > 0:00:11The classroom.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15It's a place where, for many, dreams are born,
0:00:15 > 0:00:17passions realised,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20and where we feel the excitement of learning new things.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23And it's also the place where, at some point,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26we may have thought, "I can be anything I want."
0:00:26 > 0:00:29When I grow up, I want to be an astronaut.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31When I grow up, I want to be a scientist.
0:00:31 > 0:00:32Teacher.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34A surgeon.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35A CEO.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38And there's a charity called IntoUniversity,
0:00:38 > 0:00:42working hard to try and make some of these aspirations come true.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46Growing up, when it came to my education, I was very lucky.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49My parents were school teachers and I was encouraged
0:00:49 > 0:00:53and supported and the path to university was shown to me.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56But even in this day and age, for many children in Britain,
0:00:56 > 0:00:58it can be a very different story.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02I came to the UK at the age of nine months.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06And since then, I've just been born and bred in East London.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09This is Nahyan.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12He's 19 years old and lives with his family in Tower Hamlets,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15a borough which in recent years has seen many changes,
0:01:15 > 0:01:19but is still classed as one of the most deprived in the capital.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Growing up in East London has definitely been tough.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25When I was young, we were kind of like deprived of opportunities.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29I've not always enjoyed school and learning, you know.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Within the area that I've been brought up in,
0:01:32 > 0:01:35if you were good at school then you would be bullied.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37At the age of 14 or 15,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41I was messing with the wrong type of group, missing school.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44There was definitely that risk of going through the wrong way of life.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48No skills, no hope, no future.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51That's the stark reality of how some kids can feel,
0:01:51 > 0:01:52growing up in modern Britain.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56But IntoUniversity are working at grassroots level
0:01:56 > 0:01:59in communities around the country so that every child,
0:01:59 > 0:02:02no matter what their circumstance or background,
0:02:02 > 0:02:04has the chance to dream big.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07I wanted something bigger for myself.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10I didn't really want to just follow the crowd.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12My mum suggested IntoUniversity.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15It's tested me in completely different ways.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18And that's what's led me to be open-minded about...
0:02:18 > 0:02:19Not just about life,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23but about opportunities that are ahead of me too.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28Since it began 15 years ago, IntoUniversity has opened
0:02:28 > 0:02:3122 learning centres across seven cities.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34The charity sows the seeds early on that higher education
0:02:34 > 0:02:38is a possibility and, to date, has helped transform the futures
0:02:38 > 0:02:40of 50,000 pupils.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42I was getting good marks on my homework
0:02:42 > 0:02:43and it was really helping me.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Then my dad was like, "University is an option for you now,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49"you can go on to university and do well for yourself."
0:02:49 > 0:02:52It's the first time that he's like given me a kiss on the cheek,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54after getting my results.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57I guess he's proud to have a son to be the first one in the family
0:02:57 > 0:03:02to make something that was out of reach possible.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07IntoUniversity is an extremely inclusive charity
0:03:07 > 0:03:11and is quite unique, in terms of that we work
0:03:11 > 0:03:14with every child, wherever there is a need.
0:03:14 > 0:03:20It seems to me grossly unfair that any young person
0:03:20 > 0:03:22would not be able to make an informed decision
0:03:22 > 0:03:25about what they want to do with their life.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29And that's where we can support those kind of conversations,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33where we need to talk about aspiration and achievement.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36The charity offers study weeks and workshops to schools.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38There are academic support sessions,
0:03:38 > 0:03:40where children can get help with their homework,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44and there's a mentoring scheme where university and corporate volunteers
0:03:44 > 0:03:48are paired with young people to help inspire the next generation.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51One of the best experiences that IntoUniversity has given me
0:03:51 > 0:03:55was being paired with a university student who was my mentor.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57I never had someone to look up to,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59like a big brother or anything like that.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02But Gabriel was someone to guide me, someone to help me,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04someone to support me.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Nahyan's success is proof of how much IntoUniversity
0:04:06 > 0:04:08can do for a young person.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11But there are still thousands of young people out there
0:04:11 > 0:04:13who need support from the charity
0:04:13 > 0:04:16so that they too can build towards a successful future.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21This centre in Brighton opened in 2014
0:04:21 > 0:04:25and since then has helped nearly 2,000 children from the local area.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Children like Harry and Annie,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30who've been attending for the last two years.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Good lad. Hairband for you. Come on then.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37'Harry is my eldest. He's 11 years old.
0:04:37 > 0:04:38'He is football mad.'
0:04:38 > 0:04:43Annie is eight and they couldn't be more different.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45They complement each other quite well.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48IntoUniversity today, we're doing rollercoasters,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50so it'll be exciting.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Yeah, I'm really excited.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57I and the kids' father split up about six or seven years ago.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01They spend at least a couple of nights a week at their dad's.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Harry understands that I'm a single parent.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08He understands that there is a day in the month which is payday,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10and the week before that,
0:05:10 > 0:05:15you don't ask for anything because I just can't do it.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20I don't ever want to say no to them because money's the issue.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23And, unfortunately, that does come up.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25In an ideal world,
0:05:25 > 0:05:29I would maybe have a part-time job or I'd be a stay-at-home mum,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31get them to school, and I'd pick them up,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34and then have time with them in the afternoon and do their homework.
0:05:34 > 0:05:40Unfortunately, it isn't an ideal world and I have to work.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42Since coming to the charity,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Annie's grades have improved dramatically
0:05:45 > 0:05:48and Harry has become a more confident young man.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50IntoUniversity has helped me.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52It's boosted my confidence in talking
0:05:52 > 0:05:55and communicating to other people.
0:05:55 > 0:06:01My worst subject was maths because I found it really tricky.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04And now it's my favourite subject
0:06:04 > 0:06:09because IntoUniversity have always helped me.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11They take the time and they explain
0:06:11 > 0:06:14what the problem is and they teach her obviously how to do it
0:06:14 > 0:06:17and there's more time there than maybe in the classroom
0:06:17 > 0:06:20and certainly what I have at home.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25I would have absolutely loved to have gone to university
0:06:25 > 0:06:28and it was just never an option.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30With Harry and Annie, I'm very determined,
0:06:30 > 0:06:35no matter where I am today, the answer's not going to be no
0:06:35 > 0:06:37because there isn't going to be the money.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38Here we go, here we go! Yay!
0:06:38 > 0:06:42University isn't right for absolutely everyone,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45but it is right for a lot of people
0:06:45 > 0:06:49who have no idea how to access university.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51I'm ecstatically proud of Harry and Annie.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55I've been thinking about where they were when they first started
0:06:55 > 0:06:58and I can't stop grinning, thinking of them now.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01I couldn't have imagined them improving
0:07:01 > 0:07:05so much over the period of time that's elapsed.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08They keep impressing me, they keep making me proud.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Hello, Ama. How are you?
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Now studying at Goldsmiths, University of London,
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Nahyan has decided to give back
0:07:15 > 0:07:19and become an IntoUniversity mentor himself.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22It has almost been like a circle for me, really,
0:07:22 > 0:07:26because I've started off as this 14-year-old child
0:07:26 > 0:07:29that didn't really know where he wanted to go,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32but being given access to a variety of opportunities,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36it's given me the chance to give back and help out younger people.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40IntoUniversity has opened lots of doors for me
0:07:40 > 0:07:42and I feel really happy coming.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47I feel like they've helped me a lot to get my hopes up a bit
0:07:47 > 0:07:48and just to believe in myself.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Knowing that there's a charity like IntoUniversity out there
0:07:53 > 0:07:55should give us hope.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Education is something we're lucky enough to have at our fingertips,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00but we shouldn't take it for granted.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03The truth is, it's not always considered an option.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06Today's children are tomorrow's doctors,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09teachers, entrepreneurs, but sometimes,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12they need your help to get there.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15If you'd like to make a difference to the life of a young person,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18then please make a donation now.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20To give by phone, call...
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Calls are free from mobiles and landlines.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Texts cost £10, plus your standard network message charge
0:08:35 > 0:08:37and the whole £10 goes to IntoUniversity.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41For full terms and conditions, or to make a donation online,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43visit the Lifeline website at...
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Or if you'd like to post a donation, please make your cheque payable to
0:08:50 > 0:08:52IntoUniversity and send it to...
0:08:53 > 0:08:57..writing IntoUniversity on the back of the envelope.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58Thank you.