London Youth

Who we are

We are London Youth, a charity on a mission to improve the lives of young people in London, challenging them to become the best they can. Young people need opportunities outside school to have fun with their friends, to learn new skills, to make a positive change in their communities and to shape the city they live in.

Last year, we worked with over 27,000 young people through our sports development, employability, youth action and involvement, arts and outdoor education programmes. Our work gives young people access to opportunities they might not otherwise have had.

Throughout our history, community youth organisations have provided a constant lifeline and a vital safe space outside the family and formal education, where young people can develop confidence, resilience and skills.

Our culture and values

Our vision is that all young Londoners grow up healthy, able to express themselves, navigate a fulfilling career and make a positive contribution in their communities.

Our mission is to support and challenge young people to become the best they can be; developing their confidence, resilience and relationship skills.

We do this with, and through, our network of community youth organisations and at our two residential centres. We look to work with all young people, focusing particularly on those who wouldn’t otherwise have access to the kind of opportunities we offer.

We’re ambitious – we constantly challenge ourselves to find better ways to support young Londoners, our members and colleagues
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We’re collaborative – we take pride in working together, listening to one another and combining our expertise to take our work further
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We’re inclusive – we’re friendly, approachable and welcoming. We value the diversity of each other’s knowledge and experiences, and apply this to our work, discussions and decision-making
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We’re accountable – we take ownership of our decisions and make sure our members, colleagues and partners understand the reasons behind them, so we are trusted and relied upon.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

In July 2020, we issued a statement committing to become an anti-racist organisation and to actively tackle racism. Since then, London Youth has worked with our staff and trustees to understand first the issues within our organisation, collaboratively developing a Theory of Change to define our areas of focus, approach and plan of action moving forward.

We have a Race Equality Action Stakeholder Group which is chaired by a London Youth member and trustee. This group includes representatives from across the organisation and oversees the implementation of our Race Equality Action Plan. At the heart of youth work is the drive to level the playing field for all young Londoners to succeed, regardless of their backgrounds.

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Over two thirds of the young people we work with are from racialised communities and we know that without the opportunities which youth organisations provide, there would be limited experiences open to them.

Strengthening our work in this area is key. The statistics clearly evidence the impact structural racism has on young Londoners. At the heart of youth work is the drive to level the playing field for all young Londoners to succeed, regardless of their backgrounds. Over two thirds of the young people we work with are young people of colour and we know that without the opportunities which youth organisations provide, there would be more limited experiences open to them.