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
Beily
Last Name
Markowitz
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
Up 'N Away
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2012
Initiative Title
Active Futures: Reimagining Community Space for Youth Sport
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
http://upnawaycharity.org/
Initiative Stage
Scaling (You’re expanding impact to many new places or in many new ways)
Sectors/Themes: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Children & Youth
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
We are redesigning our youth centre garden into a more dynamic, inclusive and engaging outdoor sport space to increase participation and attract more inactive children and young people into regular physical activity.
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?
Children and young people in our community face significant barriers to regular physical activity, including limited access to safe, engaging outdoor spaces, financial hardship, overcrowded housing, and rising inactivity levels. Many of the young people we support come from low-income families and do not participate in organised sport due to cost, lack of confidence, cultural barriers, or limited local provision. As a result, too many are missing out on the physical, social and mental health benefits that regular sport and active play provide. Although our youth centre garden is currently used for sport, it is basic and uninspiring, limiting the number of young people we can engage — particularly those who are inactive or lack confidence. The space does not fully meet the needs of, younger children, or those who prefer informal, social forms of activity rather than competitive sport. We work directly with disadvantaged children and young people every week and see first-hand the impact inactivity has on confidence, wellbeing and social connection. As a trusted, long-standing community organisation, we are deeply embedded in the local area and have strong relationships with families, schools and young people themselves. Redesigning this space responds directly to what young people have told us they want: a more exciting, inclusive and welcoming environment that encourages them to be active. This initiative will particularly benefit inactive children and young people, and those from low-income households who face the greatest barriers to participation.
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?
Our approach is to transform our existing youth centre garden from a basic outdoor area into a dynamic, multi-use sport and active play hub designed specifically to engage inactive and underserved young people. Rather than building new facilities, we are reimagining the potential of a space we already operate — removing design barriers that currently limit participation and introducing flexible, inclusive infrastructure that supports both structured sport and informal active play. The idea emerged from listening to our young people. Many told us they did not enjoy traditional competitive sport but would participate if the space felt more exciting, social and welcoming. Our “aha” moment came when we realised the issue was not just motivation — it was design. The space itself was not inspiring or adaptable enough to attract those who were least active. By redesigning it with youth input — including multi-sport markings, modular equipment, shaded seating, and zones for different types of movement — we unlock access for children and young people, and those lacking confidence. As leaseholders of the youth centre, we have secure access to the site, enabling long-term impact. We will continue working closely with local schools, families, and community partners to widen participation and referral pathways. By demonstrating how underused community land can be transformed into vibrant sport spaces without major capital development, we are creating a scalable model that local authorities and landowners can replicate to unlock more urban spaces for physical activity.
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 at the centre of Active Futures and have directly shaped both the need and the design of this initiative. The idea to redesign the garden emerged through regular youth forums, informal discussions during sessions, and feedback from those who were not engaging in existing sports provision. Many told us they found the space “boring,” too competitive, or not designed with them in mind. We are now involving young people in co-design workshops where they are helping to shape the layout, choose equipment, and decide how different zones should function (e.g. multi-sport areas, social movement spaces, informal fitness zones). They are advising on colours, surface markings, seating areas, and how to make the space feel welcoming rather than intimidating. This ensures the redesign reflects how they actually want to move and play. A youth steering group will continue to meet during implementation, giving feedback on design proposals and supporting launch activities. Older participants will also take on peer ambassador roles, helping to engage inactive friends and promote inclusive use of the space. We are rooted in this community and work closely with families and local schools, who regularly share insight about barriers to participation. By placing young people at the heart of decision-making, we are not simply delivering a space for them — we are building it with them, ensuring it reflects their lived experience and increases long-term engagement in physical activity.
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?
Active Futures will unlock access to physical activity by transforming an underutilised outdoor space into a high-quality, inclusive sport hub capable of significantly increasing participation. Currently, our garden supports structured sessions for approximately 100 young people per week, but design limitations restrict wider engagement, particularly among inactive children. Through redesign and improved infrastructure, we project capacity to increase usage by at least 40–60%, reaching an additional 100 young people weekly. In the short term, outputs will include a fully redesigned multi-use outdoor sport space, increased weekly session delivery, new informal drop-in activity opportunities, and expanded partnerships with local schools for after-school and holiday provision. We will track participation numbers, demographic reach (including inactivity levels), and frequency of engagement. Longer term, we expect increased sustained participation in physical activity, improved confidence and wellbeing, stronger peer relationships, and reduced barriers for those previously disengaged from sport. Evidence from our existing programmes shows that when young people access safe, welcoming sport environments, attendance remains high and confidence improves — with over 60% of participants continuing beyond initial sessions. Beyond our centre, this initiative provides a scalable model demonstrating how community-held land can be redesigned cost-effectively to unlock urban space for sport. By evidencing increased participation, strong retention, and improved wellbeing outcomes, we will create a replicable blueprint that local authorities and community organisations can adopt across London.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
Active Futures is innovative because it does not simply provide another sports programme or refurbish a garden; it reimagines how underused community space can actively engage young people who are traditionally inactive. Unlike standard interventions that focus on structured sport only, our approach combines co-designed, multi-use outdoor space with flexible play and sport opportunities, allowing young people to choose how, when, and with whom they engage. This ensures we reach those who are less confident, less competitive, or disengaged from formal sport. The initiative is also innovative in how it places young people at the centre of design and decision-making. Our co-design workshops, youth steering group, and peer ambassador roles ensure that the space and activities reflect the lived experiences and preferences of the community, rather than a top-down model. This participatory approach not only increases engagement but strengthens young people’s ownership and long-term connection to physical activity. Additionally, Active Futures demonstrates an imaginative use of existing urban space: by transforming a relatively small, underutilised youth centre garden into a vibrant, scalable, multi-sport hub, we are proving that limited land can be optimised to reach more children without requiring major capital investment. This approach creates a replicable model for other community and council spaces across London, shifting norms around who uses these spaces and how, and tackling inactivity in a way that is both inclusive and sustainable.
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?
Active Futures is designed for long-term impact and operational sustainability by building on our established youth centre programmes and community relationships. We already have secure access to the garden, experienced staff, and established engagement pathways with local schools, families, and community partners, ensuring immediate delivery capacity. To sustain the initiative, we will combine regular programme delivery with monitoring of participation, outcomes, and feedback, enabling continuous improvement and demonstrating value to stakeholders and funders. Financially, the initiative leverages existing resources while seeking grant support for the redesign; ongoing operation is incorporated into our core youth provision budget, ensuring that staffing, maintenance, and programming remain viable beyond the initial refurbishment. By engaging young people and the wider community in co-design and delivery, we foster local ownership and stewardship, increasing the likelihood that the space is used regularly, maintained well, and remains relevant to young people’s needs. For scalability, Active Futures is designed as a replicable model for underutilised urban spaces. The approach — transforming small community areas into multi-use, inclusive, and youth-led sport hubs — can be adapted by other community organisations and local authorities across London. We are building strong partnerships with local schools, councils, and sports providers to support wider roll-out and knowledge sharing. With clear design principles, youth co-creation processes, and measurable outcomes, this initiative has the potential to extend its impact across multiple sites, increasing access to sport and play for more inactive young people city-wide.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
Active Futures is delivered by our core youth centre team in close collaboration with young people, community members, and strategic partners. Project Lead / Youth Centre Manager: Oversees overall delivery, budget management, stakeholder engagement, and progress monitoring. Ensures alignment with organisational strategy and funder requirements. Programme Coordinators / Youth Workers: Deliver sport and play sessions, facilitate co-design workshops with young people, and gather participant feedback to continuously improve activities and space usage. Youth Steering Group & Peer Ambassadors: Young people provide ongoing input into the design of the space, activity planning, and outreach to engage inactive peers. They are central to ensuring the initiative meets the needs and preferences of the community. Facilities / Maintenance Team: Support implementation of the garden redesign, maintenance of equipment, and ensure health and safety standards are met. Community Partners & Local Schools: Provide advice on local needs, support recruitment of participants, and collaborate in after-school or holiday activity delivery. Landowner: Provides lease support, approvals, and guidance on replicable models for community space use. Each partner has a clear, defined role that ensures shared responsibility for delivery, co-creation, and long-term impact. This structure enables Active Futures to be responsive, inclusive, and scalable while maintaining accountability and sustainability.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
Upcoming Milestones for Active Futures Youth Co-Design Workshops – Month 1–2 Conduct participatory sessions with young people to co-create garden layout, equipment choices, and activity zones. Output: Finalised design concept reflecting young people’s preferences and inclusive needs. Planning & Approvals – Month 2–3 Submit design plans for internal review and, landlord approval. Output: Sign-off on design, health & safety compliance, and budget finalisation. Garden Refurbishment & Installation – Month 3–5 Implement redesign including multi-use sports markings, modular equipment, seating areas, and inclusive play features. Output: Fully refurbished, safe, and engaging outdoor sport and play space. Staff Training & Programme Preparation – Month 4–5 Train youth workers on using the new space for flexible, inclusive sessions. Output: Staff ready to deliver innovative programmes that attract both active and inactive young people. Launch & Initial Programme Delivery – Month 5–6 Begin delivering multi-sport and active play sessions, targeting inactive children and young people. Output: First cohort engaged, baseline participation data collected. Monitoring, Feedback & Adjustment – Month 6–12 Gather participant and community feedback to optimise space usage and session design. Output: Continuous improvement and engagement metrics tracked. Evaluation & Scaling Planning – Month 12 Assess participation, inclusion, and wellbeing outcomes; document learnings and model for replication. Output: Evidence-based plan for expanding or replicating Active Futures in other community spaces. This timeline ensures Active Futures is delivered efficiently, with youth involvement at every stage, while building a scalable, sustainable model for ongoing impact.
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.
If selected as a finalist, we would be keen to participate in the 8-week capacity-building programme. While we plan to contribute staff time from our core youth centre team, there would be additional costs that could create a barrier to full participation. We would request support to cover the following: Staff backfill / overtime – To release youth workers and programme coordinators for workshops and mentoring sessions without interrupting ongoing programme delivery. Estimated cost: £3,500. Travel and transport – Costs for staff to attend in-person workshops or site visits across London, including public transport or mileage. Estimated cost: £1,200. Materials and resources – Printing, workshop materials, and collaborative design tools needed to participate fully in capacity-building exercises. Estimated cost: £800. Evaluation / reporting support – Temporary support to manage data collection and reporting requirements during the programme period. Estimated cost: £2,500. Total requested support: £8,000 These costs are directly linked to ensuring that we can fully engage in the programme, apply learning to the Active Futures initiative, and maximise impact for the young people in our community.
