Lead the Change: a new funder collaboration supporting young people

BBC Children in Need, in partnership with Co-op Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Henry Smith Foundation, Joseph Levy Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Postcode Justice Trust, UK Community Foundations and The National Lottery Community Fund, have announced the launch of Lead the Change. 

Lead the Change will support organisations to give young people safe, welcoming spaces to take the lead in strengthening their communities. Over the course of three years, the £3.4m initiative will aim to grow young people’s confidence and leadership through workshops, mentoring and community-led projects. Young people will have real influence, including as part of a dedicated youth panel that helps guide decisions and makes funding recommendations.

As part of this work, funders commissioned research from More in Common to better understand the experiences of young people in the UK today. Young people said they increasingly feel unsafe where they live and lack accessible, welcoming spaces to meet friends. Many also spoke about the lasting pressures of the cost‑of‑living crisis on their wellbeing and opportunities. 

Together, these challenges are deepening feelings of isolation, pushing young people to spend more time socialising online where they are sometimes exposed to harmful content. Collectively, the evidence highlights an urgent need to investment in youth spaces, trusted facilitation and genuine youth participation – critical ingredients for repairing and strengthening social cohesion. Lead the Change hopes to support work that is meaningfully engaging with young people to tackle some of these challenges.