We are delighted to announce the successful organisations that have been awarded grants from the latest phase of our Youth Futures Fund. We awarded £180k to three innovative and effective community projects working with young people to promote healthy relationships and educate them on the impact of sexism, misogyny, and violence.
London is one of the greatest cities in the world, but it is also a polarised city, of extreme inequality, of haves and have nots. London is a city where many young people struggle to get by, bearing the brunt of the challenges that poverty and inequality bring to their community such as unequal access to services and opportunities and a greater risk of abuse and violence.
We launched our Youth Futures Fund in 2021 to support London’s young people. Since then, we have raised over £820,000 and supported 18 organisations across London. Each was awarded an average grant size of £30,000 over two to three years.
In 2023 we focused on the impact of unhealthy relationships, misogyny, and violence on the lives of young people in London and how it affects mental health and wellbeing.
Insights from our Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Grassroots Fund, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), show growing concerns around sexual harassment, consent and misogynistic attitudes for both girls and boys. This is further impacted by the rise of social media influencers that have propelled sexism, misogyny, and violence against women and girls, which is particularly having a detrimental impact on the attitude of boys aged 10-17 and young men under 25.
Prevention is key and the three organisations funded focus on educating children and young people, both boys and girls, on healthy and unhealthy relationships, and how to seek assistance. All three organisations receive three years of funding to help them to increase their capacity and further their reach and influence.
As a small, grassroots and survivor-led charity, the impact of this fund will be substantial. We know first hand that when survivors are supported, lives are changed and cycles of harm are disrupted.Youth Realities Ltd
Youth Realities Ltd are based in Barnet and are a survivor-led charity addressing teenage relationship abuse through educational workshops in schools and specialist one-to-one support. The funding will grow their capacity as they continue to support their existing one-to-one Independent Domestic Abuse Advocacy & Support programme for young women, girls and non-binary people aged 11-25. Youth Realities Ltd aim to support 300 young women and girls over the 3 years to exit abusive relationships and access safety and freedom.
Little Fish Theatre uses drama and theatre to empower young people’s personal development. Its core programmes include interactive productions based on healthy relationships, and educational workshops - both delivered in schools around Southwark. Little Fish Theatre has a user-led ethos, with young people informing and shaping its services. Activities will take place in schools, Pupil Referral Units, and projects working with young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs), with a particular focus on supporting young victims of peer-on-peer abuse and providing early intervention to support young men at risk of sexually harmful behaviour.
Let Me Know are based in Camden and deliver educational workshops in secondary schools/colleges across London. They teach young people to spot and prevent unhealthy relationship behaviours and have adapted the workshops to be accessible to young people with special educational needs and disabilities. The Youth Futures funding will help Let Me Know grow their reach and impact, offering more than 300 free workshops each year and aiming to work across the whole of London by next year.
Thank you so much for choosing to support us in this way. Your support comes at such an important time, both for a small and rapidly growing charity like us and for the world in which young people throughout London are navigating relationships.Let Me Know
This year the focus for our Youth Futures Fund will be on supporting young people leaving the care system and you can learn more about how you can get involved with the fund on our Youth Futures page. In addition, if you would like to know even ways you can support grassroots, specialist organisations like these, sign up to our supporters newsletter:
