Connected Futures: place-based change
Place-based partnerships that foster localised solutions to the complex employment challenges facing marginalised young people.
Nationally, 1 in 8 young people are not in employment, education or training (NEET). However, where a young person lives also has a significant impact, with youth unemployment and economic inactivity rates disproportionately higher in some areas. Local support systems that should help young people into further education, training or work, can be fragmented, complex and difficult for young people, particularly the most marginalised, to navigate.
To work with partnerships in local areas to develop, test and embed tailored approaches that change the way things work, building coherent and connected support systems that help more young people to achieve good work.
Launched in 2022, Connected Futures funds local partnerships across England to explore, test and embed changes to local youth employment systems. We want to better understand how systems can work differently so that young people can thrive in their local communities.
Each local partnership works with young people from marginalised backgrounds within their place and local context to:
Meet our Connected Future Ambassadors, young people aged 16 to 25 from across our Connected Futures Partnerships who are actively involved in youth-centred approaches to systemic change.
We are supporting each of our partnerships to deliver systemic change through:
8 partner coalition
1 partner coalition
3 partner coalition
3 partner coalition
3 partner coalition
2 partner coalition
5 partner coalition
3 partner coalition
4 partner coalition
3 partner coalition
1 partner coalition
“The future of work for young people isn’t about one-size-fits-all solutions. Through Connected Futures we’re able to work with organisations and young people in places and within their local context, to co-create impactful local solutions that will help create systems change, for a thriving youth employment landscape.
“It’s been exciting to see young people take the lead across the Connected Futures programme, and we know this is already changing how local decision-makers think about the issue of youth employment.”
Louise Rands, Head of Programmes – Connected Futures
If you have any questions about our grants programme, please contact the grants team on grants@youthfuturesfoundation.org