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
Elizabeth
Last Name
Lahav
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.
Elizabeth Lahav
Lead Organisation Name
Streetz Ahead
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
1995
Initiative Title
Streetz Fit Outdoors
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
www.streetzahead.org https://www.tiktok.com/@streetzaheadorg https://www.facebook.com/StreetzAhead.org/ https://www.youtube.com/c/streetzahead https://twitter.com/streetzahead https://www.linkhttps://www.instagram.com/streetzaheadedin.com/company/streetz-
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
Streetz Fit is an immersive, indoor & outdoor fitness and dance initiative, powered by wireless mic’d headphones, that uses music-led movement to reimagine parks, school halls and playgrounds as inclusive, youth-designed spaces that support physical wellbeing, emotional regulation, and climate-resilient participation.
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 children & young people in London, particularly those experiencing disadvantage, SEND, anxiety, trauma, or exclusion from school, are not regularly participating in physical activity, despite having access to parks, playgrounds & community centres. In the communities we work with, traditional sport often feels competitive, noisy, or culturally irrelevant, while public spaces are frequently underused or seen as places where children do not feel confident, welcome, or safe to move freely. Schools also face practical barriers, including limited indoor space & restrictions on outdoor activity, further reducing opportunities for inclusive physical activity. At the same time, climate & environmental pressures are increasing the need for outdoor, low-impact, adaptable approaches to movement. Without new, community-led solutions, these systemic barriers will continue to contribute to poor physical health, low confidence, & disengagement from play & physical activity. Streetz Fit is designed for 8–18yr olds who are excluded or disengaged from traditional sport, particularly neurodiverse pupils, those with SEND, low confidence, or emotional & behavioural challenges. We know from our other youth programmes (reaching 3,500 children weekly across 35 London schools) that these groups benefit most from inclusive, immersive, music-led movement that prioritises enjoyment, emotional regulation, & belonging over competition. We’ve piloted Streetz Fit in 5 schools & 1 community centre so far. The feedback from young people, their teachers & caregivers has been overwhelmingly positive. Re-engaging children with outdoor play & integrated physical fitness, they feel more confident being active & enjoy movement.
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?
We deliver immersive, music-led fitness & dance sessions using wireless mic’d headphones in parks, school halls, school playgrounds & community centres, transforming familiar spaces into inclusive, engaging environments for physical activity delivered during the school day. Our approach emerged from a clear shift we observed in schools: increasing numbers of children were disengaging from physical activities, from dance classes to traditional sports. Many young people we work with spend long periods using screens & struggle to focus or feel comfortable in noisy, overstimulating group settings. We work closely with neurodiverse children, including those with ADHD & autism, where sensory overload, background noise & social pressure can be significant barriers to participation. Using headphones creates a contained, immersive experience that supports focus, emotional regulation & confidence, while still allowing children to move together. The mics allow trainers to give clear instructions directly through the headphones, no PA system required; giving us flexibility to work in any setting without additional infrastructure or lots of equipment. This was our “aha” moment: when children put the headphones on, their posture, attention, & willingness to participate changed instantly. Movement felt familiar, safe & enjoyable again. Fitness became something they wanted to engage in, not something they avoided. For our pilot scheme, our existing education partners & Haringey Council played a key role, enabling access to public spaces & support reaching communities. By working collaboratively with decision-makers & young people, we have created a sustainable, community-led approach to reimagining fitness & play.
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?
Streetz Ahead is a community-led organisation managed by a team of those with lived-experience of the people we serve. Many of our team members are also from the communities we work in. Children & young people are at the heart of what we do, and their input is an embedded part of our ongoing strategic planning through regular consultation, feedback assessments and observational feedback. Our youth board, SAYIT (Streetz Ahead Young Interactive Team) consists of young people that have ‘graduated’ from our other youth programmes. Their opinions inform our trustees and senior management team planning meetings. We take a holistic approach in our work, taking into account feedback from the wider communities that support the CYPs we work with too: their teachers, parents & caregivers, as well as observational feedback from Streetz Ahead mentors. Streetz FIT was borne from this ongoing, dynamic consultation process, as well as noticing the behavioural patterns & shifts in attitudes towards physical fitness amongst the communities we work in. Our approach led us to piloting Streetz Fit, to this pivotal moment in the growth of the programme.
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?
This initiative enables parks, playgrounds & indoor public spaces to function as regular, inclusive fitness environments rather than occasional or restricted spaces. This has immediate implications for increasing participation without requiring new infrastructure or capital investment. Evaluations from one pilot session working with 63 children: 84% said they enjoyed the session, with 73% saying the use of headphones helped them to focus and join in; 75% said they felt included and comfortable taking part; 87.5% would participate in Streetz Fit again and 100% saying they would recommend Streetz Fit to a friend. The children said what they enjoyed most was: “The togetherness” “It’s fun, nice and calm” “I like the music and dances they teach us and let us be us” We would like to expand on our pilot scheme to the rest of our borough, initially rolling out into schools where we have existing established relationships, as well as establishing weekend clubs across parks in Haringey. Our partnerships with Haringey Council and The Shell Theatre are a strong starting point in terms of access & reaching communities, and with this fund, we can invest in further infrastructure and staffing to ensure sustainable growth. We are also working with EMD UK to create an accredited Streetz Fit Training Pathway course, with the aim of franchising Streetz Fit in the long-term so that the programme can expand to city-wide, and beyond. This approach has the potential to influence how public and school-owned spaces are programmed, shifting decision-making away from limited, one-size-fits-all provision toward flexible models that prioritise participation, wellbeing, and belonging.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
Streetz Fit is innovative because it applies an emerging adult fitness approach: immersive, headphone-based movement, to a completely new context for children, schools & public spaces. While this format is gaining popularity in adult leisure and commercial fitness, it has not previously been adapted, tested, or evidenced for inclusive delivery with children in parks, playgrounds and community spaces. Streetz Fit translates this into a safeguarding-led, child-centred model that responds to real barriers within education and public space. The innovation lies in how existing spaces are reimagined. Rather than requiring new facilities, Streetz Fit enables playgrounds, parks, and hard outdoor surfaces to function as flexible fitness environments. This challenges the norm that physical activity must happen in specialist spaces, and instead shifts expectations about how everyday environments can be utilised safely and inclusively. Streetz Fit also represents a new way of collaborating. By working across schools, landowners, parks teams, and local authorities, the initiative removes structural barriers such as noise restrictions, space limitations, and access permissions. Headphones become a practical tool that allows multiple stakeholders to share space without conflict, enabling regular use rather than one-off events. Most importantly, Streetz Fit tackles the root of disengagement by changing the conditions around participation. It reframes physical activity as immersive, adaptable, and responsive to young people’s needs, shifting community norms away from one-size-fits-all provision toward models that prioritise access, belonging, and sustained engagement.
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?
Streetz Fit is designed as a scalable model that builds long-term capacity rather than relying on continued grant funding alone. The Go! London-funded phase will be used as the transition from our initial pilot phase to expansion: strengthening delivery systems, partnerships, safeguarding processes, and evaluation, ensuring the model is operationally robust and ready to grow sustainably. Our long-term vision is for Streetz Fit to become a nationally recognised, inclusive outdoor fitness model delivered by trained practitioners in schools, parks, and community spaces. To achieve this, we are developing a Streetz Fit Instructor Training Pathway, with a formal syllabus submitted for accreditation through EMDUK (Exercise, Movement and Dance UK). This ensures quality assurance, safety, and professional recognition, enabling consistent delivery across different settings. The next stage requires support for infrastructure development, accreditation, digital resources, and trainer capacity, as well as partnerships with education providers, local authorities, and expansion of community networks to support rollout. Long-term scaling will be achieved through a train-the-trainer and licensing approach, 25,000 of whom are registered with EMDUK alone, enabling local instructors to deliver Streetz Fit in their own communities using existing spaces and infrastructure. This franchise model supports local employment, reduces delivery costs, and embeds ownership within communities. In the long term, Streetz Fit has the potential to scale across London and nationally, creating sustained impact by normalising inclusive, climate-resilient physical activity in everyday spaces.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
Streetz Ahead Founder & CEO, Elizabeth Lahav - supervising lead With a Masters Degree in Dance Movement Psychotherapy, and degree in Dance and Education, Lahav’s academic insight, alongside her 25+ years running Streetz Ahead informs all of our work. She will support Taylor in managing this project, taking a macro-view of all key details. She has already engaged our partners and will manage all stakeholder relationships; including support from additional Streetz Ahead team members where needed. Head of Dance, Taylor Agarrat - project manager Professionally trained in Street Dance, Contemporary and Ballet and a degree in Choreography; Taylor has performed in a wide variety of settings from pantomimes to music videos. As our Head of Dance, Taylor manages all of our productions, showcases and will be overseeing the exercise programmes for Streetz Fit which our trainers will conduct. She will manage all aspects of staffing including rostering, liaising with our partners at an operational level, and promotion and marketing of the project. Haringey Council - delivery partner As strong supporters of our work, Haringey Council are also keen to provide the necessary permissions for use of public outdoor spaces such as Lordship Recreation Ground and The Shell Theatre, and also offering marketing support reaching communities like Broadwater Farm in Tottenham, close to the park grounds. EMD UK - training partner They will provide official accreditation for our training pathway, and will promote this to the 25,000 registered trainers on their website, to further our franchise model in the long term.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
October 2026: completion of the Streetz Fit Instructor Training Pathway and formal syllabus inc. digital resources November 2026: accreditation for training programme secured through EMDUK (Exercise, Movement and Dance UK). The training pathway will then be advertised & promoted on their website to 25,000 fitness professionals, franchising this programme across the UK. November 2026: refining safeguarding processes for expansion & future enfranchisement October-December 2026: confirming schedule with borough delivery partners to deliver Streetz Fit weekend clubs January-March 2027: running of expansion programme with existing partnership schools in school playgrounds, and weekend clubs in public parks across Haringey borough. April 2027: evaluation, creation of impact report using gathered qualitative and quantitative data. Scaling will be achieved through a train-the-trainer and licensing approach, enabling local instructors to deliver Streetz Fit in their own communities using existing spaces and infrastructure. We will use the data from the impact report to illustrate the strengths and successes of Streetz Fit to franchisees, peer organisations & other London authorities.
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.
We are a small, tight-knit team of 5 full time and 11 specialist part time team members. Although we will gain a lot from the capacity-building training programme, 2 hours each week away from other duties will put a strain on our day-to-day running, and will mean other staff members will have to pick up these duties and work additional hours, leading to higher wages costs, which cannot fund ourselves. It would cost £288 to cover the cost of 16 hours overtime (2hrs per week for 8 weeks), (at £18p/hr - £32k per annum for 25hrs pcw).
