Supporter Spotlight – Emma Quinn, Chief People Officer, Radius

Emma Quinn is the Chief People Officer at Radius, a mobility and connectivity company committed to supporting the local community. Emma shares why Radius, as a local employer, is backing Crewe Youth Zone and how investing in their potential future workforce will deliver positive, long-lasting benefits for the Youth Zone, the local community, and Radius.

“I know of OnSide and Youth Zones because there is one near where I live on the Wirral, so I was pleased to hear a Youth Zone was coming to Crewe. Radius has offices all over the world, and our head office is in Crewe. We employ around 900 people in the local area and have been involved in supporting local causes for many years.

As a business, we’ve had a successful growth trajectory from day one, so it has been important for us to give back. We’ve always been very interested in the local community, which feeds our employment pipeline. We are very mindful that each person within the community has skills and abilities. It is important for local people to have the right support around them to overcome any barriers they may face. Over the years we have worked with local charities in various ways, and supporting these causes has given us an understanding of local needs.

We wanted to be Founder Patrons of Crewe Youth Zone because children are the future workforce. OnSide works with individuals from childhood up to adulthood and as a business in the local area, we very much anticipate that we’ll employ in the future some of the young people that will go to the Youth Zone. If we can help to set them on a positive path earlier, that means when they come to employment age, they will be more confident and have better resilience, meaning they will be more successful in work. A lot of our staff also have children in the local area, so the Youth Zone will become part of our family and friends network and our culture.

When I learnt more about what OnSide offers and the work undertaken to help build young people’s confidence, health and well-being, and ability to understand life and themselves, I saw a lot of parallels with our people strategies. At the heart of our business is the importance of diversity, equality and inclusion. We are committed to all of our employees being seen, heard and valued.

When I first visited Warrington Youth Zone, I thought it was a great space. I arrived just as the zone was opening so it was buzzing with children and parents arriving. I saw that the space caters for all different types of children, regardless of background, characteristics or their experiences in life. Every child has the chance to access the facilities and to get the most out of them. The other thing I also liked is that there didn’t seem to be too much rigidity, children could be themselves and they could choose what they wanted to do.

My favourite room was the music room which had lots of instruments for young people to play, probably because I grew up in a family with lots of music. I also really liked the sensory room. It was nice to see that was considered for children, as I know they will have all different types of requirements and things that they need to be themselves and to be happy and comfortable.

One thing that I took from my visit was that the children were happy, for me that means they feel safe and secure. Sadly, you hear stories about environments that aren’t that positive for children. You walk into a Youth Zone, everyone is smiling and chattering, there’s a lot of noise, and the atmosphere is vibrant.

In my personal and professional life, I believe we all have different types of potential and within Radius every colleague understands that they can grow. It doesn’t matter what your role is, it’s about what you contribute. At Radius it’s important that everyone feels valued, and from what I’ve seen from the Youth Zones, I believe that is part of OnSide’s ethics and values too.

I think the world has changed significantly within a generation. A lot of that change has been because of technology. How we communicate is very different depending on our age. Verbal communication has become less; messaging, Apps and online have become more prevalent. With that comes a change in perspective, it impacts how our younger people view life, view themselves, view their relationships. I believe his presents a challenge for our younger people. I also think social skills are becoming more of a challenge for young people, they don’t have to speak because they talk on devices through message. Some of the social skills I learnt when I was young without technology don’t come as naturally to this generation, I think this can be a challenge for them when they enter employment.

My hope for the Youth Zone and Crewe’s young people is to grow their confidence, enable them to understand what opportunities are open to them and help them build their resilience to live happy, fulfilled professional and personal lives.

My recommendation for anyone thinking of getting involved in a Youth zone to go see a centre in action. You can read information on a website, and you can talk to the team, but for me, it’s so important to experience it in person. Go and see it happen, see what the children are gaining from it, and the benefits the whole community will gain from the centre.”