Celebrating Youth Power
Celebrating Youth Power
“I didn’t think change in the world was possible… Until I started engaging in the Youth Power Fund and saw that you can make a difference.”
Last week, we celebrated the incredible achievements of the Youth Foyers embedding youth leadership into their services through the Youth Power Fund.
With support from Blagrave Trust, the Youth Power Fund was established to fund new thinking and innovation that embeds sustainable youth leadership and shifts the balance of power in favour of young people who live in youth supported housing.
We funded six proposals for youth-led approaches that planned to challenge existing power structures, create long-term, sustainable, systemic change, and act as a catalyst for young people to lead in the local community and beyond.
On 20th May 2025, we were joined by Foyers from across the network to hear from Bath Foyer, Braintree Foyer, CHADD and YMCA Cheshire share their youth-led projects and explore how other services could embed youth leadership into their practice.
A member of staff from YMCA Cheshire said:
“…I’m really passionate about my job… But it sometimes feels like it’s us against the world – and the world’s getting worse… It’s very easy to not notice all the little things you do in a day – the small impacts you have on people’s lives.
“So it’s nice coming to an event like this… Everybody’s on the same page, people are genuinely interested in the work you’re doing… It feels like we’re all doing our bit. It’s really nice to be part of something – it’s not just me… everyone’s doing it.”
One young person, when asked about how best to engage young people in meaningful youth leadership, said:
“[It’s about making sure young people know that] their presence is wanted – their input is actually wanted. It’s not just a numbers game, it’s not just trying to fill seats, it’s not just keeping up appearances. You genuinely want them to thrive and hear their ideas and implement them.”
Joel Lewis, Chief Executive of the Foyer Federation, said:
“Last week’s celebration event really proved the power of youth leadership. In the room were some very experienced housing professionals, really listening to and learning from young people – and we didn’t have anything to add.
“Unfortunately, there are still too many occasions where youth voice isn’t put front and centre when exploring young people’s issues and experiences, so it was refreshing to be in a space where the energy was coming from the people with lived experience – the ideas, the intelligence, the eloquence. It was powerful.”
Congratulations to all young people and staff who participated in the Youth Power Fund from: Bath Foyer, Braintree Foyer, CHADD, YMCA Cheshire, Swan Housing and Enfield Foyer.
Special thanks also go to Serveco for sponsoring the event.
To find out more about the Youth Power Fund and the work of the Youth Foyers who participated, read our impact report.