The Need

Click here to view a short film outlining the need for our work.

As a country we are facing severe economic and social challenges:

• National debt in the UK currently stands at 66% of Gross Domestic Product and vast cuts in public spending have resulted in the loss of jobs and services.
• The number of young people not in education, employment or training is at record levels and currently stands at 1 in 6 young people.
• The incidence of knife crime in London affecting children and young people is increasing.
• A quarter of us do not trust the people living in our local neighbourhood.

Despite 46% of young people having attempted to make positive change at a local level, 87% have faced significant barriers in doing so (YouGov).

And whilst there are almost 10 million 18-30 year olds in the UK, they are woefully under-represented in positions of power and influence.

We think that many of our country’s biggest social and economic challenges could be overcome if we effectively harnessed the leadership potential of young people. The fresh thinking, new ideas, curiosity and ambition of the UK’s young people are a natural resource that needs to be utilised.