Our dynamic Inspiring Change Programme is currently in full swing over the Summer with our group of inspiring young changemakers! To kick things off we recently held our first epic team building residential where our young people took part in a wide range of fun and team building activities.

These included Laser Tag, discovering some very tactical members of the team, a plot twist riddled Murder Mystery event, and an (extremely messy) cooking challenge where our bake-off trainees took to the ovens to prove their skills!

It was a huge amount of fun and clearly everyone enjoyed themselves – and more importantly bonded with one another ready for the next step of Inspiring Change!

Social Action

Our young changemakers are now in the process of planning their Social Action Projects with the aim to tackle youth violence in their communities which they will deliver in October!

Their ideas, their energy and their passion to work together has really impressed us so far and we cannot wait to see their social action projects come to life!

This free programme is an 8 month experience for young people who are aged 15-19 and living in Portsmouth, Southampton, Eastleigh or Totton. It’s all a part of the Peer Action Collective and in partnership with Artswork and Youth Options.

Throughout the Inspiring Change programme we’ll see young people take the lead in tackling youth violence in their local communities through self designed and created social action projects or awareness campaigns.

There is also the chance for young people to apply for funding of between £1000 and £3000 to support their project they design and plan.

The programme will continue through to December 2022 and consists of 4 immersive weekends including a 1 night residential, monthly check-ins, employability workshops, and fun, interactive sessions to allow young people to make an impact!

Inspiring Change is allowing young people of all backgrounds to develop their project management skills as well as make a positive impact in their local communities.

Youth Violence & Social Action Manager, Katie Aris, said:

“This is a really exciting project and a unique opportunity for young people to make a positive impact in their communities and in the world around them. Youth violence is a problem in many areas, towns and cities around the UK. The programme is allowing young people to channel their energy, ideas and passion into making a real difference, and will support the national efforts in tackling youth violence around the country.”

The programme is part of a wider project in collaboration with Artswork and Youth Options which has seen 12 young people employed as peer researchers since September 2021. They are conducting research around the impacts of youth violence in order to support the social action projects.

We’d like to give special thanks to the Youth Endowment fund alongside the Co-op and the #iwill Fund for their support and funding for the Inspiring Change programme. Their support and belief in young people has allowed this project to become a reality and we cannot thank them enough!

Keep an eye on our social channels to see what they get up to over the next few months!

Social Action
Young people will come together to create social action projects to tackle the important issue of youth violence in exciting new programme.

We are very excited to launch our exciting new programme for young people: Inspiring Change: Young people tackling Youth Violence, together! An 8 month experience for young people aged 15-19 living in Portsmouth, Southampton, Eastleigh or Totton.

This free initiative is part of the Peer Action Collective and in partnership with Artswork and Youth Options, and will see young people take the lead in tackling youth violence in their local communities through social action projects or awareness campaigns.

There is also the chance for young people to apply for funding of between £1000 and £3000 to support their project they design and plan.

The programme will be delivered from April-December 2022 and will consist of 4 immersive weekends including a 1 night residential, monthly check-ins, employability workshops, and fun, interactive sessions to allow young people to make an impact!

Inspiring Change will allow young people of all backgrounds to develop their project management skills as well as make a positive impact in their local communities.

Youth Violence & Social Action Manager, Katie Aris, said:

“This is a really exciting project and a unique opportunity for young people to make a positive impact in their communities and in the world around them. Youth violence is a problem in many areas, towns and cities around the UK. This programme will allow the energy, ideas and passion these young people possess to make a real difference, and will support the national efforts in tackling youth violence around the country.”

The programme is part of a wider project in collaboration with Artswork and Youth Options which has seen 12 young people employed as peer researchers since September. They are conducting research around the impacts of youth violence in order to support the social action projects.

Youth Violence & Social Action Facilitator, Jess Cowling, said:

“We are really lucky and excited to have the opportunity to support young people in tackling youth violence as part of our Inspiring Change Programme and supporting them to become changemakers in their own right!”

The deadline for applications for the Inspiring Change programme is the 25th March, and applications are already coming in thick and fast. If you or someone you know is interested in signing up then be sure to do so quickly!

For more information or to apply, please click here!

We’d like to give special thanks to the Youth Endowment fund alongside the Co-op and the #iwill Fund for their support and funding for this exciting new project.

About Unloc

Unloc is a leading education non profit founded in 2013 by award-winning young leaders and advocates Hayden Taylor and Ben Dowling. We help schools, colleges and organisations inspire and empower young people to be changemakers through bespoke and innovative programmes in entrepreneurship, leadership, career pathways and student voice. We work towards our mission by delivering inspiring educational programmes in our growing network of schools and colleges.

Our mission is to empower young people to be innovative changemakers who seek to build stronger communities and sustainable businesses. We develop young people’s skills, enhance their potential and boost their determination to succeed.

Sign up for Unloc’s monthly Digital Update straight to your inbox by clicking here!

About Artswork

Artswork has empowered children and young people through arts and culture for the last 30 years. A national voice celebrating the arts, creativity and cultural development for, with and by young people, they are committed to improving their life chances and making a difference.

Artswork strive to make the arts and creativity available to absolutely everyone. Aiming to break through barriers and develop new ways for people to discover the success, empowerment and sheer joy that the arts and creativity can bring to classrooms, communities and careers.

For more information about Artswork click here!

About Youth Options

Youth Options was established in 1937. They believe that every child and young person has the potential to realise their abilities and aspirations, and to make a valuable contribution to their communities. They are committed to supporting young people to develop their social and emotional skills, engage with learning and to stay safe. Youth Options services are individually tailored to deliver vibrant, dynamic and ever-evolving opportunities that connect with and inspire young people.

About 20 per cent of Youth Options services are open access for all young people, whilst 80 per cent are targeted projects delivered to young people with specific needs. They work with young people in a wide range of situations, including those in care, care leavers, those at risk of exclusion from school or society, those already excluded from mainstream education and young people who are NEET or likely to be NEET on leaving school.

For more information about Youth Options click here!

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