MARK EVISON FOUNDATION
Registered UK Charity No: 1158382
Lt Mark Evison died in 2009 from a gunshot wound while serving as a British army officer in Hellmand Province, Afghanistan. He was attempting to get the platoon to safety following an ambush. The Foundation was set up in his memory, and his values and character are the driving force within it. The mission is to promote the personal development of young people aged 19 to 25 through undertaking challenges.
Foundation staff typically visit schools in and around London to address sixth-formers in school assemblies. They introduce the charity and extend an invitation to the students to create and plan projects that are personally challenging. Applications must be self-designed and created from scratch for consideration by the charity. For accepted applications, the Foundation provides mentoring and expenses funding up to £500 (£5,000 for Major Awards, usually to groups). Any successful challenge must be well outside the students’ comfort zone, non-curricular and non-commercial.
With its emphasis on schools in deprived areas, this young charity has achieved a remarkable reach. In the 2017-18 academic year, the Foundation team delivered Year 12 assemblies in 64 maintained schools in London addressing over 7,500 students. More than 1,600 individuals responded and 225 final applications were received. 67 awards were granted, allowing 253 young people to undertake and complete their challenges. The feedback from participating schools has been very positive, with more schools seeking support from the Foundation.
The range of skills, challenge and ideas embraced through the winning projects are impressive. Some of the 2022 winners’ challenges include:
• Biking challenge for MEF & Alzheimer’s
• Writing and recording a four-track rock EP
• Why are we not doing our part?
There are three types of award:
ANNUAL SCHOOL AWARDS
These are available for students aged 16-18 at the charity’s partner state-run schools. Applicants (whether individuals or groups) are asked to create and plan their chosen project, present it to the charity, carry through their plans and then present their results back to the charity afterwards. They then have the opportunity to inspire the next year’s cohort at their school assembly by sharing what they did.
These are the majority of the chairty’s awards, and most of the schools have high indices of deprivation and are located in disadvantaged areas of London.
MEMORIAL SCHOOL AWARDS
These are given annually in the two schools that Mark attended: Dulwich College and Charterhouse. Expenses allowed up to £500.
THE AUSTRALIAN OUTBACK AWARD
This special award is open to young people aged 18-25 and offers the opportunity to spend 6 months working as jackaroo or jillaroo (working farm hand) on a sheep station in southern New South Wales, Australia.
Find out more about Mark Evison Foundation.