My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
Yes
I am 18 years of age or above, by the application deadline.
Yes
My organisation is a registered UK entity and has a London-based address.
Yes
My organisation is a non-profit (e.g. school, university, or local authority) — not a for-profit, which can only join as a partner.
Yes
If there is a for-profit organisation as a partner in my initiative, they work on a cost-recovery basis only.
Yes
My solution is implemented at scale, or if not, I have a clear business plan, a minimum viable solution (prototype, pilot, or proof of concept), evidence of access to a lease for the space you are leveraging, and evidence of work or impact in London within your coalition.
Yes
I am aware that, if I am submitting more than one application to a Challenge run by Ashoka and Go! London, only one of them is able to progress through the stages.
Yes
Are you an employee (and their children and grandchildren) of Ashoka or any of its respective affiliates and participating advertising and promotion agencies?
No
I have read and accepted the Challenge Terms & Conditions.
Yes
First Name
Wafa
Last Name
Saciid
Pronouns
She/Her
Email address
I would like to receive notifications and updates about Go London!, Ashoka, Ashoka Changemakers, and other Ashoka opportunities.
1
Are you an Ashoka Fellow?
No
Are you applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow?
No
If you are applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow, please specify the name and organisation of the fellow below.
Lead Organisation Name
You Matter Youth CIC
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2025
Initiative Title
Safe Spaces & Strong Futures
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
Currently in development
Initiative Stage
Pilot-Stage (The first activities have happened, and you have proof of concept)
Sectors/Themes: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Children & Youth
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
Safe Spaces & Strong Futures is a trauma-informed initiative by You Matter Youth CIC creating safe, inclusive spaces for vulnerable young people aged 11–25 affected by trauma, violence, and emotional distress, providing mentoring, emotional support, and structured wellbeing engagement to build confidence, resilience, and safer life pathways.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve and who will benefit the most from your solution? How close are you to the problem and/or community impacted?
Many vulnerable young people, particularly in urban communities, lack safe and inclusive environments where they feel emotionally secure, heard, and supported. Exposure to trauma, violence, exploitation, unstable home environments, and emotional neglect often leads to low self-worth, disengagement, harmful coping patterns, and increased risk of entering unsafe situations. For many girls and young women, these vulnerabilities can remain hidden, making access to safe, gender-sensitive spaces even more critical. Traditional systems do not always meet the emotional and relational needs of these young people, leaving gaps in early intervention and preventative support. Without safe spaces and trusted relationships, many continue to struggle with identity, confidence, and emotional regulation, which can impact their wellbeing, safety, and future outcomes. I work directly within this community as a youth practitioner and counsellor, supporting young people facing trauma, emotional distress, and social vulnerability. Through this work, I see first-hand the need for consistent, safe, and trauma-informed spaces where young people can feel supported, rebuild confidence, and develop healthier coping strategies. This initiative is rooted in lived experience, direct community engagement, and a commitment to creating safer pathways for vulnerable young people.
Your approach: How are you/ will you addressing the problem outlined above? How does your solution unlock or reimagine access to spaces for sport and physical activity? What role do landowners, local authorities, or other decision-making stakeholders play in your approach? We'd love to know about the origin of your idea, and what was your "aha" moment" that led you to take action?
Safe Spaces & Strong Futures addresses the lack of safe, inclusive environments by creating structured, trauma-informed spaces where vulnerable young people feel secure enough to engage, grow, and participate in positive activities, including physical and wellbeing-based engagement. Many young people do not access sports or physical spaces due to emotional barriers, lack of safety, or feeling excluded. Our approach removes these barriers by first creating emotional safety, trust, and belonging ,enabling young people to re-engage with shared spaces, movement, and healthy social interaction. We utilise existing youth centre spaces and additional hired community rooms, transforming them into safe, inclusive environments for both emotional support and structured physical engagement. Physical activity is integrated through wellbeing-focused movement, confidence-building activities, and safe group participation rather than competitive pressure, making spaces accessible to those who might otherwise avoid them. Local youth services and community partners, including Be Heard As One, play a key role through referrals, outreach, and community connection, ensuring we reach vulnerable young people who are often excluded from traditional services. Collaboration with local organisations helps unlock access to safe community spaces and strengthens sustainability. The idea was shaped through direct frontline work with young people who expressed feeling unsafe, unheard, and disconnected from both emotional support and community spaces. The “aha moment” came from recognising that before young people can engage with physical or community spaces, they must first feel emotionally safe
Collaboration with young people and the community: In what ways does your initiative engage young people and community members closest to the problem? What role do they play in building the solution you deliver?
Young people are central to the design and delivery of Safe Spaces & Strong Futures. The initiative is shaped through direct engagement, ongoing dialogue, and feedback from young people who have experienced trauma, emotional distress, and social vulnerability. Their voices guide how sessions are structured, what topics are explored, and how spaces are created to feel safe, inclusive, and relevant to their lived realities. Participants actively co-create the programme by identifying their needs, challenges, and interests. For example, young people have shaped the balance between gender-focused sessions and mixed sessions, the inclusion of wellbeing and movement-based activities, and the creation of safe reflective spaces where they feel comfortable to express themselves. Regular feedback and reflection are built into the programme to ensure it remains responsive and youth-led. The wider community also plays an important role. Referrals and collaboration with Be Heard As One and local youth networks help ensure the initiative reaches those most in need. Community spaces such as youth centres are used not just as venues, but as safe hubs where young people feel a sense of belonging and ownership. By placing young people at the centre, the initiative builds trust, relevance, and long-term engagement, empowering participants to shape a solution that truly reflects their needs and strengthens their connection to safe community spaces.
Potential for/Evidence of Impact: How do you imagine your initiative will make a difference in unlocking spaces for and access to physical activity and sport so far? If you have already implemented it, what difference have you made so far? What is the impact your initiative has had , and or what impact do you envision having in the future?
Safe Spaces & Strong Futures unlocks access to physical activity and shared community spaces by first addressing the emotional and psychological barriers that prevent many vulnerable young people from participating. Many young people avoid sports and community environments due to fear, low confidence, trauma, or feeling excluded. By creating emotionally safe, inclusive spaces, the initiative enables young people to gradually re-engage with movement, group participation, and shared physical environments in a supportive and non-judgemental way. Through early delivery and frontline engagement, young people who previously avoided group or physical environments have begun participating in structured sessions, including wellbeing and movement-based activities within safe community spaces. Participants have reported increased confidence, improved emotional safety, and a greater willingness to engage in shared environments and positive physical activity. The programme is designed to support 15–20 young people per cycle, with deeper one-to-one support for high-need individuals. Over time, this model can scale through partnerships across Tower Hamlets, Newham, and Barking & Dagenham, increasing reach and impact. As confidence and emotional stability improve, young people are more likely to use community spaces positively, engage in physical activity, and develop healthier coping behaviours. Long-term impact includes improved emotional resilience, increased participation in safe physical and community spaces, reduced social isolation, stronger peer relationships, and healthier life pathways. By creating emotionally safe gateways into community and physical engagement,
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
Safe Spaces & Strong Futures unlocks access to physical activity and shared community spaces by first addressing the emotional and psychological barriers that prevent many vulnerable young people from engaging. When young people feel safe, supported, and confident, they are far more likely to participate in group environments, including movement-based and wellbeing-focused physical activities. Our initiative transforms community spaces into safe, inclusive environments where physical engagement becomes accessible, non-judgemental, and supportive rather than intimidating. So far, through early delivery and frontline youth engagement, we have supported vulnerable young people to re-engage with structured group environments, improve emotional confidence, and participate in safe wellbeing and movement-based activities. Participants have reported feeling safer in shared spaces, more confident in group settings, and more willing to engage in positive social and physical activities. The programme is designed to support 15–20 young people per cycle, with deeper one-to-one support for high-need individuals. Over time, this model can scale through partnerships and community delivery, expanding reach across multiple boroughs and supporting larger groups of vulnerable young people. Long-term impact includes increased confidence and emotional resilience, reduced avoidance of shared and physical spaces, stronger community connection, and improved wellbeing. By creating emotionally safe gateways into community and physical engagement, the initiative contributes to lasting behavioural change, healthier coping, and safer life pathways for vulnerable young people.
Viability and Scalability: How are you setting your initiative up for success, and what is your plan to ensure operational sustainability of your solution and its impact? What are your ideas for scaling your initiative to the next level?
Safe Spaces & Strong Futures is designed with a sustainable, community-rooted delivery model that prioritises consistency, safety, and long-term impact. The initiative is built on structured programme delivery, safe staffing ratios, partnership referrals, and trauma-informed practice, ensuring that young people receive meaningful and consistent support rather than short-term intervention. Funding will support key roles, safe delivery environments, and programme stability, preventing burnout and maintaining quality. Operational sustainability is strengthened through collaboration with community partners such as Be Heard As One, who support referral pathways and outreach, ensuring continued engagement and access to young people most in need. The programme is intentionally designed to generate evidence of impact through monitoring, participant feedback, and outcome tracking, strengthening future funding opportunities and long-term viability. To scale, the initiative will expand delivery across additional community spaces and boroughs through partnership working, allowing more young people to access safe and inclusive environments. Future development includes increasing programme capacity, training additional practitioners, and strengthening collaboration with local authorities, youth services, and community organisations. With sustained support, this model has strong potential to grow into a scalable, community-embedded approach that unlocks safe spaces and positive developmental pathways for a wider group of vulnerable young people.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
You Matter Youth CIC will lead the overall design, coordination, and delivery of the Safe Spaces & Strong Futures initiative. The Founder and Programme Lead is responsible for programme development, safeguarding oversight, trauma-informed delivery, partnership coordination, monitoring outcomes, and ensuring the initiative is delivered safely and effectively. A Practitioner will support session delivery, participant engagement, and provide consistent mentoring and emotional support to young people. Be Heard As One (BHAO) will act as a key community partner, supporting outreach, referrals, and connection to vulnerable young people through their established network, including youth services and social workers. Their role ensures the initiative reaches those most in need and strengthens community integration. Where required, local youth centres and community spaces will support safe venue access for programme delivery, enabling inclusive and structured engagement. This shared approach ensures clear responsibility, strong safeguarding, and effective delivery through collaboration between lead organisation, delivery staff, and community partners.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
The Safe Spaces & Strong Futures initiative will be delivered through structured phases to ensure safe implementation, consistent engagement, and measurable impact. **Phase 1 – Preparation & Setup (Months 1–2)** Finalise programme structure, confirm delivery spaces, strengthen referral pathways with Be Heard As One and community partners, and complete participant onboarding and baseline assessments. Safeguarding, monitoring, and session frameworks will be established to ensure safe and effective delivery. **Phase 2 – Programme Delivery (Months 3–5)** Deliver weekly gender-focused and mixed sessions, providing trauma-informed mentoring, emotional support, and wellbeing and movement-based engagement. Ongoing monitoring, participant feedback, and outcome tracking will ensure the programme remains responsive and impactful. **Phase 3 – Evaluation & Growth (Month 6)** Conduct programme evaluation, measure outcomes, gather participant feedback, and document impact. Strengthen partnerships, refine the delivery model, and prepare for future expansion and scaling across additional community spaces and boroughs. These milestones ensure the initiative is delivered in a structured, safe, and sustainable way, supporting long-term impact and growth.
Capacity-Building Participation and Support Funding: If you were to make it as a finalist, you will be required to participate in an 8-week capacity building programme. If funding/ cost is a barrier to your participation, we may be able to offer up to 10,000 GBP of grant money available to support you. Please break down below, if it is the case, what costs you would incur and you would need covered. (Please note that there are restrictions on how the grant money may be used; please refer to the T&Cs for further details.
Participation in the capacity-building programme would be highly valuable for strengthening the sustainability, structure, and impact of the initiative. As a small, early-stage community organisation, funding support would help ensure full and consistent participation without disrupting frontline delivery. Costs that would require support include: Staff time / delivery cover– Ensuring programme sessions continue safely while attending training and capacity-building activities Travel and transport– Attendance at in-person sessions, workshops, or networking events Operational continuity – Cover for essential programme coordination, safeguarding oversight, and communication during the capacity-building period Digital and participation costs – Internet access, materials, and tools required for programme participation This support would enable uninterrupted service delivery while strengthening organisational capacity, sustainability, and long-term impact, ensuring the learning gained directly benefits vulnerable young people and community outcomes.
If you selected “Other”, please specify below.
Through a community and youth sector funding opportunity shared within a professional network supporting organisations working with young people in London.
User Email
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