Anna Smee, our CEO, reflects on the impact of the pandemic, our achievements and our ambitious plan for the future.
The anniversary of the first lockdown marks a poignant moment for us to reflect on the past year. When Youth Futures Foundation started work early in 2020, little did we know that our first operational year would be shaped by the pandemic.
Most critically, the scale of the challenge we set ourselves has grown exponentially. Latest figures, commented on by our Director of Impact and Evidence, Chris Goulden, show that two thirds of those who have lost their job in the past 12 months are aged under 25 and inevitably, young people from marginalised backgrounds are struggling most.
Faced with these challenges, we are proud of what our team has achieved. Our Impact Report 2020 explains how we responded by extending our funding to provide vital infrastructure support to the youth employment eco-system, and to frontline organisations giving support to the young people who need it most. We also hit our first milestone as a what works centre, creating a portfolio of grant holders that will not only support young people in the current crisis, but help us to identify the approaches, policy changes and best practices that will deliver the systemic change we are striving for.
As an organisation we have grown from a single figure staff into a team of 25 who, despite the restrictions of lockdown, have brought their collective commitment to the kitchen table and built the foundations of our work for the future. Our Strategy Report outlines our plans and ambitions for the next three years.
We know our impact as an organisation will be based on working closely with a wide range of stakeholders.
