What a year 2025 has been so far, and it just gets bigger and better – we are so excited to announce that we are expanding our wide range of specialist programmes, courses and events into the Leeds area this September just in time for the Autumn term! 

We have long had our sights on bringing our innovative programmes to the Leeds city region, having delivered previous programmes and events there, we’ve seen that we can have a strong and positive impact on the region and make a lasting difference in the lives of the young people there, empowering and equipping them with the skills they need to thrive in a fast-changing world. 

Our vision for Leeds is clear: to help young people build confidence, become young changemakers, develop entrepreneurial mindsets, and create a brighter future for themselves and their communities.

We believe that every young person has the potential to succeed, regardless of their background, and we work hard to level the playing field by connecting talent to opportunity, tackling inequalities, using their voice for the good of all, and promoting social justice. 

Bringing our mindset, skills and knowledge to Leeds is an exciting new journey for us at Unloc, building upon our dedicated teams in London and Portsmouth, and widening our reach. Our facilitators will be based in Leeds City Centre, ensuring that our programmes are responsive to the local needs and aspirations of young people in the area. 

The vibrant and rich culture of Leeds is the perfect place for Unloc to expand our reach and provide exciting new opportunities, programmes and events to young people in the area.

How will local people and industry be involved?

Firmly believing in the power of partnerships, we’ll work closely with local youth organisations, businesses, industry, and the local authority to ensure that programmes complement existing efforts in the community. We are already incredibly proud to be partnered with Burberry, based in the City Centre, and are also working with the Luminate Education Group, by collaborating with local partners we can amplify their impact and create a more supportive network for young people to grow and flourish.

Volunteers from local businesses will play an active role in our programme roll-out. These volunteers will bring real-world knowledge and expertise to Unloc’s initiatives, providing young people with valuable insights into the world of work, behind the scenes experience across a range of industries, and the ability to connect and communicate with professionals from a diverse range of backgrounds and careers.

What are our goals in Leeds?

Unloc will be based in Leeds City Centre, ensuring that programmes and events will be easily accessible for young people in the region

How we will achieve our vision in Leeds

We will be taking a multi-faceted approach to empower young people in Leeds, tailoring our programmes to the needs of the young people in the region, reaching all ages and levels of knowledge. This will involve a series of dynamic Changemaker Challenge Days for both Primary and Secondary Schools, Enterprise Events aimed at growing the mind of an entrepreneur, Changemaker Moments Events and Leadership Bootcamps.

Each event is focused on developing confidence, an entrepreneurial mindset, employability skills, incubating a ‘changemaker outlook’, and encouraging career aspirations. They’ll enjoy skills workshops, learn from professionals, engage with reverse-mentoring, develop core employability skills, network with local entrepreneurs and develop the mindset of a changemaker – recognising how to make positive change and effect impact in their communities and wider society.

These skills will help empower young people and connect diverse talent with industry, networking with professionals and career experts, and creating clear pathways to employment, entrepreneurship, and being an empowered changemaker.

Unloc’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Hayden Taylor

How can local businesses in Leeds get involved?

Unloc’s programmes and events offer businesses, industry, partners and entrepreneurs an opportunity to make a tangible, positive impact on the community while also reaping the benefits of increased visibility and engagement.

Sponsor an Unloc programme or event and become an active part in nurturing young talent and empowering young people. Your sponsorship helps Unloc to deliver their vision – offering young people exclusive opportunities and connections with industry which inspires and empowers them on their career path.

It also gives you the opportunity to engage your employees with a greater aim, share knowledge and experience, champion your brand, and raise awareness of your journey, what you do and what you stand for. The inspiration and motivation your knowledge and experience can provide to young people is invaluable.

The voice of young people in Portsmouth is a top priority for 16 year old Maheep Kaur, a member of Portsmouth’s Youth Cabinet and the city’s elected Member of UK Youth Parliament. Maheep recently met with two local Members of Parliament, Amanda Martin, MP for Portsmouth North, and Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth South, to discuss the important issues impacting young people in the city.

In October, Maheep met with Stephen Morgan MP to discuss the Youth Cabinet’s priorities, as well as the concerns raised by local young people through their recent surveys and consultations. As Portsmouth MYP Maheep makes it a top priority to understand in-depth the issues and challenges that young people in the city face, as well as hearing their thoughts on how those obstacles and situations can be overcome. 

Maheep commented: 

The meeting was extremely pleasing, I really enjoyed it! I appreciated how Stephen adjusted his busy schedule to meet with me. I’m glad I had the opportunity to discuss ideas and actions that can make a real difference for young people. I was really excited when Stephen offered me the chance to spend a day with him. I’m looking forward to experiencing this and to experience what his day looks like as a MP.”

The in-depth discussion covered many topics that young people care about, and also allowed Stephen to discuss his priorities as both an MP and Minister, particularly his work on establishing Youth Hubs across the city. The meeting provided an opportunity for Maheep to engage in a productive dialogue around the initiatives that are most important to the young people that she engages with on a daily basis.

Maheep meets with MP Stephen Morgan at Unloc’s Changemaker Studios: Portsmouth space

MP for Portsmouth South, Stephen Morgan said:

“It’s been really helpful to hear from Maheep about the issues that young people in Portsmouth are facing as well as those which the Youth Cabinet are prioritising. Young people are the future of our city, our jobs market, and our economy, but I believe have not been provided with enough opportunities for a long time.”

“One of my priorities since being elected is to ensure Portsmouth young people are given the support, training and opportunities that they need to succeed and grow. I am pleased to see the work My Future in Portsmouth Youth Hub is doing to support more young people in my community, and help them into the world of work.”

Maheep later sat down with MP Amanda Martin at the end of November to share the results of the recent Make Your Mark Survey, a key tool used to understand the concerns of young people across the UK. 

During the meeting, Maheep talked at length with Amanda about the results of the survey, and of the differing thoughts and opinions of the young people that took part. Maheep also highlighted the formation of the Youth Cabinet’s subgroups, with a particular focus on the Crime and Safety subgroup. 

The important topics discussed included ensuring safety for women and girls in Portsmouth, the potential of police presence in schools to enhance safety and reassurance, and the importance of restorative justice practices. 

Maheep with MP Amanda Martin

Maheep also introduced Amanda to the work of Unloc, our non-for-profit which originated in Portsmouth, and works around the country with young people to encourage youth voice, social action and entrepreneurship. 

Unloc, working with Portsmouth City Council also facilitate the Primary Council of Portsmouth Students (PCoPS) and the Council of Portsmouth Students (CoPS), powerful youth forums which help young people to positively impact and shape the city’s education. Maheep explored opportunities for collaboration between the Youth Cabinet and these student forums to engage younger children across the city. 

Reflecting on the meeting, Maheep said, 

It was lovely to meet Amanda for the first time and talk about our focuses. I really appreciate Amanda’s time and her willingness to support young people. I’m happy I was able to go over crime and safety topic, which is one of the subgroups from the three that Portsmouth Youth Cabinet is working on. It was lovely to hear an invitation for the Portsmouth Youth Cabinet to visit Amanda’s office once it’s been settled completely!

Both meetings mark a continued commitment to fostering strong connections between Portsmouth’s young people and local policymakers, with a focus on addressing their most pressing concerns and creating positive change in the community. 

Having this direct communication with political leaders and young people can only serve to strengthen the voice of young people, ensuring that their concerns are heard and that the right opportunities in society are available to them,

For more information about the Youth Cabinet and their initiatives, please contact: [email protected] 

Student voice has been at the heart of celebrations in Portsmouth for us this past week as we and Portsmouth City Council celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Council of Portsmouth Students (known as CoPS) which culminated in an event at out Changemaker Studios: Portsmouth space at Portsmouth last Thursday 21st November 2024. 

The event saw young people, educators and city leaders come together to celebrate, with speeches from current CoPS Chair and Vice Chair, Daria Nitu and Lotti Pabari, CoPS Vice Chair 2017 Ella Reilly, and CoPS Chair 2008 Ben French.

All spoke of the heartfelt impact CoPS has had on their lives, and after the celebrations everyone pledged their support to ensure CoPS can continue with strength into the future so that other young people can reap the benefits.

Council of Portsmouth Students Vice Chair 2017, Ella Reilly, speaking at the event

Facilitated by Unloc throughout the city, CoPS members gather for three in-person Summits each year to discuss the top priorities and issues in their institutions, to problem-solve, speak on lived-experiences, and share best practice with their peers. 

It’s a unique forum that empowers young people in the city to think about the situations, community and environment around them, and to work together to find solutions and proactive approaches to making things better for all.

The Council of Portsmouth Students was first created after the very first Student Voice Day event was held in 2003. Secondary school students came together for the first time in one place to share ideas on how they could improve their schools and make them better.

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The young people agreed it would be valuable to have a cross-city student council where students from different schools could meet regularly to discuss ideas of common interest and concern, and take action together. CoPS was born – and developed into a forum for sharing their experiences of education matters and as a way of offering solutions to any concerns that they identified. 

Maheep Kaur, Portsmouth Member for Youth Parliament (MYP) joined in the celebrations

Ideas and solutions often originate from within the Learning Community schools network; examples include: anti-bullying strategies, the development of student radio, student feedback to teachers on lessons, and student involvement in teacher and head teacher interviews. Many of these improvement ideas have become part of the landscape of schools locally and nationally. 

Co-Founder and Deputy Chief Executive Ben Dowling at the celebration event

At the time CoPS was created, Portsmouth City Council also had the resources to develop a Primary Council of Portsmouth Students (PCoPS) recognising the voices of even younger children, and replicating a significant amount of Student Voice activity in the city’s Primary Schools.

Members of CoPS and the Student Voice Alumni were so well established that they were able to use the funding cuts in 2011 as an opportunity to develop a social enterprise project to ensure the continuation of CoPS and to develop further opportunities for young people to engage and develop their own enterprise initiatives. 

Unloc’s Co-Founder & Chief Executive Hayden Taylor was away on business but sent a special message to the young people and attendees to mark this special occasion.
Cllr Suzy Horton, Cabinet Member for Children, Families & Education in Portsmouth spoke from the heart
Unloc team members Abi, Beth and Jessi celebrate an amazing 21 years of CoPS

Unloc continues this work with all schools in Portsmouth in partnership with school leadership teams to ensure that the foundations of participation that they learned and experienced through school councils, assessment for learning and CoPS remains in place for future generations of students in the area.

For more information about Unloc visit: Unloc.org.uk 

Our new series ‘Courses Up Close’ looks more in-depth at some of the wide variety of programmes, courses and bootcamps that we offer at Unloc. One of our favourite courses to deliver is our Unloc Leadership Academy. Available to Secondary Schools and Further Education, the Unloc Leadership Academy is a fun and dynamic initiative to incubate passionate young leaders, support their personal development, and channel their energy into tackling the kinds of social issues faced by young people in their school, college or community. 

Young people participating will take part in a core leadership and social action training programme at the beginning of their time at the Academy before specialising in a social issue they would like to address. This could be from a wide range of topics which impact their everyday lives such as Climate Change, Equal Rights, Politics, Homelessness or Food Poverty (for example).

It’s a brilliant opportunity to get young changemakers thinking critically about the world around them, the issues which impact them and their communities, and to challenge them to consider how they can pro-actively do something to help or improve that problem. 

Typically this leads to some fantastic and engaging discussions, peer on peer debates and challenging each other’s views and perceptions – which really grow young people’s confidence and encourages them to speak their truth and feel empowered to do something on a topic they feel strongly about.

Academy participants will then deliver social action projects (usually peer-led presentations) of their own design, focusing on one the priorities they’ve chosen. Often this can include multi-media approaches such as film and video, photography, designing a campaign, slideshow, poster or fundraising.

Unloc’s Co-Founder and Chief Executive Hayden Taylor
  1. Functional knowledge around project planning, facilitation and communication.
  2. The personal confidence, skills and qualities for leadership and employability more broadly.
  3. Been provided with a creative outlet for school improvement ideas.
  4. Connected with external role models.
  1. A plan for a school/college improvement idea.
  2. A presentation explaining their idea. 

Whether your students have leadership experience already, or are completely new to the concept of leadership, our Leadership Academy will provide an empowering experience for all.

Get in touch for more information and a no obligation chat on how we can help.

Giveus a call us on: 02394 008 180

Or email us at [email protected]

Our latest impact report for the 2023-24 academic year is now available! Inside you’ll find a whole wealth of information of the work we’ve been carrying out in schools and colleges across the UK over the past 12 months, as well as case studies, interviews and insights into the work and projects we’ve formed with young people and partners such as Verizon Business, Burberry, Juniper Networks, GRP Solutions and Palo Alto Networks.

Gain insight into the past year with stats such as:

There’s also coverage of the 2024 Young Entrepreneurs Challenge, our Young Women in Tech programme, Inpsring Change, Portsmouth Inspires, One Young World, Seed 2030, school and college forums, Changemaker Moments, the release of the fantastic rap track to stand up against Knife Crime and Youth Violence, our General Election Special Events and a whole lot more!

Unloc 2024 Impact ReportDownload

During the February half-term and Easter holidays this year, 53 young people, in Year 11 and 12, from across Portsmouth participated in our ‘Portsmouth Inspires’ Programme, funded by NCS. This was an intensive 3-day programme which enabled the young people to connect with their community, develop skills for life and unlock career pathways they might have never imagined.

Throughout the 3-days the group had the amazing opportunity to experience ‘behind the scenes’ visits to a range of businesses unique to Portsmouth, such as; Victorious Festival, The Southsea Deli, South Coast Cookery, Nike Unite Portsmouth and BH Live Active.

Alongside the visits the young people also got stuck into various masterclasses to further develop their skills for the future world of work. These included cookery masterclasses, high energy activities, behind the scenes at retail and the festival scene, and using the wide range of facilities at BH Live.

Young changemakers got to enjoy a wide range of facilities thanks to BH Live

We want to say a huge thank you to the organisations and businesses that supported this programme, we really appreciate you providing the access and opportunities to young people that they wouldn’t normally get the chance to experience.

Young people on the Portsmouth Inspires programme on location with Nike Portsmouth!

The feedback from the young people showed how great it was to gain career insights from real-life experiences!The young people on the programme had lots of positive things to say about their experiences!

The Portsmouth Inspires cohort at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth!
Confident in front of the camera? Good with editing TikTok? You could be who we’re looking for!

Email [email protected] telling us a little bit about yourself and your interests, what your ambitions are, any relevant experience you have, and send three examples (or links to examples) of your TikTok videos or similar video work so we can get an idea for your style.

Closing date for applications is Monday 13th May

Huge congratulations to Maheep Kaur of Ark Charter Academy for winning the 2024 Member of Youth Parliament (MYP) elections. MYPs attend events such as national debates, government consultations, training days and planning events whey they amplify the voices of young constituents from their local areas. 

Your new Member for Youth Parliament for Portsmouth! Maheep Kaur

Each year, around 300 MYPs from across the country meet in the Houses of Commons to debate issues that affect young people, deciding on the national campaign for that year.

Unusually, Portsmouth also has a Youth Cabinet, led by the MYP, which seeks to represent the views of all young people in the city and work with decision makers to drive positive change.  Funded by Portsmouth City Council, this initiative has gone from strength to strength.

Members of Portsmouth Youth Cabinet & Council of Portsmouth Students, Ben, Katie & Jessi from Unloc; Sarah Christopher, Clare Poyner, Cllr Suzy Horton and Cllr Chris Atwell from Portsmouth City Council; Hope Mckellar from Hope Mckellar PR, Joe McDowell from Motiv8, Shamilla Dhana from Portsmouth City of Sanctuary; Roni Edwards from Pamodzi Creatives
Front row: Talia Isbell, previous MYP for Portsmouth, Lord Mayor of Portsmouth Cllr Tom Coles, Maheep Kaur, new MYP for Portsmouth, Lady Mayoress of Portsmouth Mrs Nikki Coles, & Jo Morgan from Engendering Change

Their most recent project with Shaping Portsmouth, to create part-time job opportunities for teenagers has the potential to be transformative. Maheep stood against 3 other excellent candidates, all of whom will continue to work with the Youth Cabinet to drive positive change for young people in the city. 

The Lord Mayor of Portsmouth and the Lady Mayoress, Cllr Tom Coles and Mrs Nikki Coles, Hirina Kaur (Maheep’s sister), Cllr Chris Attwell, Shamilla Dhana from PCoS, Maheep Kaur and Cllr Suzy Horton.

Unloc has been championing Student Voice since our very first Student Forum back in 2012. Our forums act to help young people across a particular area identify and create action plans, encourage them to network and collaborate together to facilitate and generate more positive changes to their schools, colleges and institutions, and drive improvements in their communities, cities and counties.

Now in 2023, we’ve kickstarted three of our Student Forums: the Cambridgeshire Student Forum (CSF), the Council of Portsmouth Students (CoPS), and the Primary Council of Portsmouth Students (PCoPS). Each forum is bespoke to the area it takes place in, the institutions involved, and the student representatives from those institutions who wholly shape their Forum for the entire year of involvement.

Up in Cambridgeshire, our Summit was hosted by Long Road Sixth Form College (Cambridge), and attended by students from Long Road as well as Abbey College (Cambridge), Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology, Comberton Village College (Comberton), Hills Road Sixth Form College , St Andrew’s College, and Thomas Clarkson Academy (Wisbech), equating to 40 participants from the 7 institutions.

Down in Portsmouth, CoPS took place at Trafalgar School in Hilsea, and was attended by students from Trafalgar as well as Admiral Lord Nelson School (Copnor), Ark Charter Academy (Portsmouth), Mayfield School (North End), Mayville High School (Southsea), Miltoncross Academy (Milton), Park Community School (Havant), Portsmouth Grammar School, Priory School (Fratton), Springfield School (Drayton), and The Portsmouth Academy (Fratton), bringing 53 participants from the 11 institutions.

It’s sister forum, PCoPS also met for the first time, with their Summit taking place within the University of Portsmouth’s Students Union, welcoming students from Cottage Grove Primary School (Southsea), Highbury Primary School (Cosham), King’s Academy College Park (Copnor), Mayville High School (Southsea), Medina Primary School (Cosham), Portsmouth Grammar School, The Flying Bull Academy (Buckland), and Wimborne Primary School (Southsea), with 58 participants from these 8 institutions.

Beacon View Primary Academy (Paulsgrove), Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School (North End), and Court Lane Junior Academy (Cosham) are also involved in PCoPS this year but were unable to attend the Summit and have had/will be having Summit Alternative sessions within their own schools.

All of the forums were formally introduced to Student Voice, including the UN’s Conventions on the Rights of the Child and our focus on Article 12, ‘Respect for the Views of the Child’:

There was dedicated time within all three Summits for the participants to share their thoughts and ideas on Student Voice, including each Institution Group at CSF and CoPS being invited to present to the rest of the group all things Student Voice at their institution, including examples of Student Voice where things had changed or altered in previous years, talking to their School Council, Link Teacher(s) and even their Head Teacher, as well as the consideration of change: what they wanted to change in their institution, community, city or county, and how to go about actioning it.

For PCoPS, in their Institution Groups, they began to formulate plans to bring about their change(s), using posters, flyers and letters to spread the message.

In CSF and CoPS, the whole group split into Action Groups, a focus to guide them through the rest of their time in the Student Forum, divided by topics, including Business, Careers, Climate Change, Diversity, Eco-Friendly, Inclusion, Life Skills, Mental Health, Technology and Wellbeing. These groups will meet in 2024 to continue to plan their actions to bring about positive change!

Unloc’s Facilitators on site and prepped for a day of Student Voice!

Contact Jessi Wilson, Programme Facilitator for Leadership Skills and Student Voice at: [email protected]

We are delighted to announce that in partnership with One Young World and supported by The Ellis Campbell Foundation, we are launching our all new Seed2030 Micro Grants! 

Following the amazing One Young World Summit 2023 which took place in Belfast last month, Seed2030 will provide ten young leaders with grants worth up to £1,000 to test and develop their campaign or project ideas and start their own social enterprise.

Both One Young World and Unloc recognise that in order to incubate the next generation of young leaders, and widen access to changemaking, more needs to be done to provide funding and support to those young people with enormous potential but limited social capital. 

Both organisations are committed to creating a better world and more opportunities for young people, by working together, we’re opening doors for disadvantaged young people in the region and helping them to activate their ambitions.

The Seed2030 project will give 10 young people, aged 14 – 25, living in Northern Ireland, the opportunity to apply for £1000 to develop or test their community project idea or start up business that aims to advance on one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. 

Alongside the funding, the 10 young people will gain the opportunity to take part in a 2 day, 1 night immersive leadership bootcamp in Belfast helping them to progress their own leadership skills and the progress of their project, campaign or venture. 

Following the bootcamp, grantees are connected with a mentor from the One Young World ambassador community; these mentors will support the grantee for 6 months as they get their project off the ground. Furthermore, the young people will also receive ongoing support from Unloc to develop their project or business idea.

Seed2030 has also been shaped and championed by local young people from Northern Ireland, Aimee Clint from the Education Authority and Nicole Parkinson-Kelly, a previous member of the Northern Ireland Youth Forum.This expert local knowledge combined with the expertise of Unloc staff to develop young changemakers has created a project that will have enormous impact in Northern Ireland, both on the young people themselves and their local communities. 

Our steering group, composed of members from the Unloc team, the One Young World Team, the Northern Ireland Education Authority and local young people will continue to ensure the project is having a positive impact.

Of the 10 young people, those aged 18+ will also get the chance to apply for a scholarship to the One Young World Summit 2024 in Montreal, with the four young people leading the most impactful Seed2030 projects supported to attend, continuing and extending the Belfast summit legacy. 

Are you 14-25 years old and living in Northern Ireland? Or want to mentor a Seed2030 grant winner? Click here!

Unloc is a leading UK-based social enterprise, founded by One Young World Ambassadors, inspiring and supporting young people to become changemakers. Founded by award winning young leaders Hayden Taylor & Ben Dowling, we develop the leadership potential of young people from over 500 schools and colleges in the UK, and through our partnerships across Europe.

We have been bringing innovative education programmes to life for over 8 years; helping bring business closer to young talent whilst empowering young people, developing their leadership skills and building their opportunity pipeline. 

Last year, Unloc’s programmes reached over 15,000 young people in-person, and countless thousands more through our pan-European partnerships.

One Young World is the global community for young leaders. Its mission is to create a fair, sustainable future for all, by developing young leaders who are taking action to solve the world’s big challenges. It builds young leaders’ expertise, elevates their profiles and inspires them to increase their impact.


One Young World offers an unrivalled platform to affect change at a global level. ​With a network of more than 13,700 Ambassadors, innovative ​initiatives led by the One Young World community have directly impacted 41.56 million people globally since 2010. For every $1 invested, One Young World Ambassadors deliver $16 of social value.

Its annual Summit brings together the brightest young leaders from every country and sector who are working to accelerate social impact ​across the globe. Delegates from 190+ countries are counselled by influential political, business and humanitarian leaders such as President Mary Robinson, Dr Jane Goodall, and Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus, amongst many other global figures.

To date, Summits have taken place in Belfast (2023), London (2010), Zurich (2011), Pittsburgh (2012), Johannesburg (2013), Dublin (2014), Bangkok (2015), Ottawa (2016), Bogota (2017), The Hague (2018), London (2019), Munich (2021), Manchester (2022) and Belfast (2023). The next Summit will take place in Montréal in 2024.

The Ellis Campbell Foundation, a charity based in Hampshire, was established in 1990 by Michael Campbell, representing the fourth generation of the family’s property investment office, the Ellis Campbell Group. Since that time the Foundation has supported a diverse range of organisations in Hampshire, Perthshire and London with grants totalling over £3.7m. 

The Foundation has supported many wonderful organisations in Hampshire over the years and continues to support Treloar School through a sports fund, and Alton College through engineering scholarships. Most of the Hampshire grants are now run through the Doris Campbell Memorial Fund managed by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation.

Following a strategic review, the Foundation is now focussed on building Youth Power and Leadership with some fantastic partners in the UK and is proud to be supporting many transformational projects.

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