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
Eartha
Last Name
Pond
Pronouns
She/Her
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
ESP Foundation
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2020
Initiative Title
Girls Allowed
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
@ESP_FDN
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
Girls Allowed (EndZones) will create active play streets to empower young girls in London's underserved communities, transforming underused spaces into vibrant, safe hubs for active, culturally competent play. Championing Clean Air zones and directly tackling childhood obesity, reduced life expectancy and serious youth violence through collaborative community engagement and expanded sports access.
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?
Queen’s Park is one of the UK’s most disadvantaged communities, experiencing a 12-year life expectancy gap, high childhood obesity rates and limited access to safe, welcoming spaces for physical activity. Through our work with girls, families, schools & community organisations, we recognise that low participation in sport is often a symptom of wider social and health inequalities. Girls tell us that concerns around safety, body image, menstrual wellbeing, poverty, cultural expectations and a lack of female role models reduce their confidence to be active. Nationally, over 1 million girls drop out of sports during adolescence. Locally, girls have told us they want safe spaces where they feel visible, valued and free from judgement. The project will primarily benefit girls aged 8–16 from underserved communities, particularly those facing barriers linked to poverty, ethnicity, faith, gender and community safety. Through Girls Allowed and Street Play, we address both immediate needs and underlying causes by combining physical activity with youth leadership, peer support, health education and positive role models. We create inclusive environments where girls can build confidence, connection and lifelong movement habits. Our team includes residents, youth ambassadors and coaches with lived experience who reflect the diversity of West London. Through programmes such as Girls Allowed, Mums Allowed and Being Poor Is Expensive, we have built trusted relationships with schools, faith groups, community organisations and local authorities. Having chaired Westminster’s Serious Violence Taskforce, we are well placed to bring together partners across health, education, community safety & sport. Our ambition is not only to deliver activities, but to create lasting system change.
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 reimagines access to sport and physical activity by transforming underused streets into safe, welcoming and youth-led spaces for play, movement and community connection. The idea came directly from our Young Ambassadors. When Girls Allowed sessions reached capacity, they challenged us to think differently: “Why can’t we take it outside?” Consultation with girls and families confirmed that many young people wanted opportunities to cycle, outdoor play and to be active closer to home but faced barriers including safety concerns, limited facilities and the cost of organised activities. Street Play addresses these challenges by temporarily turning streets into spaces for play rather than traffic. This creates free, accessible environments where girls can be active, build confidence and strengthen connections with their community. Partnership working is central to our approach. Westminster City Council, Ward councillors and Highways teams support road closures and engagement. Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams help improve perceptions of safety with their presence and build positive relationships and trust with young people. Partners such as Everyone Active and Bikeability provide equipment, expertise and progression pathways rather than a one off moment. Young people are involved throughout, helping to shape activities, identify barriers, gather feedback & influence how spaces are used. This ensures the project reflects lived experience & local need. Our ambition is not simply to deliver activities during the summer, but to demonstrate a model of community ownership where residents, public services and young people work together to create safer, more active neighbourhoods and increase girls’ participation in physical activity for the long term.
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 not beneficiaries of this initiative; they are co-creators & decision-makers. Through Girls Allowed, we have learned that meaningful participation requires moving beyond consultation towards shared ownership and co-design. Street Play emerged directly from our Young Ambassadors when demand for sessions exceeded available indoor space. Rather than accepting limited participation, they challenged us to think differently and asked how community spaces could be used more creatively. This led to conversations with girls, families and partners about what would help them feel safe, confident and motivated to be active within their neighbourhoods. Young people continue to shape the initiative by helping identify activities, test ideas, gather feedback and influence how public spaces are used. Through our Youth Ambassador pathway, older girls act as role models and mentors, supporting younger participants to build confidence, leadership skills and a sense of belonging. Their lived experience helps us better understand barriers, including safety concerns, cultural expectations, body confidence and access to opportunities. Community members are equally important. Parents, residents, community groups, ward councillors and partners such as Queens Park Community Council help create environments where young people feel supported and visible. Through participation and local decision-making forums, ambassadors contribute to a shared vision for safer, more active neighbourhoods. This approach strengthens trust between young people, families & local institutions while building community ownership. Our aim is not simply to deliver activities, but to create long-term community-led change by embedding youth voice, lived experience & local leadership into every stage.
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?
Girls Allowed has already demonstrated significant reach and impact, engaging over 1,000 girls to date and attracting participants from more than 20 London boroughs. Alongside winning the Active Westminster Change4Life Award, we have shown that girls participate more consistently when activities are designed around their lived experiences and delivered in safe and culturally responsive environments. Our impact extends beyond participation. Through consultation, girls identified barriers including safety concerns, body confidence, breast health, menstrual wellbeing and a lack of relatable role models. In response, we combined physical activity with education, mentoring and access to appropriate apparel and equipment through partnerships with Nike, Sweaty Betty Foundation, Nixi Body and Maaree. This has led to increased confidence, participation and feelings of belonging. Street Play builds on this evidence by transforming underused streets into temporary play spaces. We unlock community assets, increase opportunities for movement and bring activity closer to where young people live. In the short term, we will measure participation, repeat attendance, confidence, perceptions of safety and community engagement. In the medium term, we expect increased use of public spaces, stronger relationships between young people and local stakeholders and more girls progressing into sustained physical activity opportunities. Our long-term ambition is to change how communities view public space and participation within it. Success will be demonstrated not only through increased activity levels but through stronger partnerships, greater community ownership and systems that continue to prioritise access long after individual Street Play events have ended.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
Our innovation is not simply delivering physical activity sessions, but reimagining how communities and young people work together to increase access to activity. Rather than creating new facilities, we transform underused public spaces into safe, welcoming environments designed with and for local young people. Young people help identify barriers, shape activities and influence how spaces are used. This moves beyond consultation to genuine co-production and shared ownership. We also bring together partners who do not traditionally collaborate around physical activity, including local authorities, schools, public health teams, police, community organisations and leisure providers. By aligning partners around shared outcomes, we strengthen local systems that support young people's wellbeing. Delivering directly outside the local mosque helps engage communities that can face additional cultural barriers to participation, creating opportunities for trust, inclusion and community support. Through Girls Allowed and Mums Allowed, we recognise that participation is influenced by family and community norms. By engaging mothers and daughters together, we strengthen positive role modelling and encourage physical activity as a shared community value. Our approach also addresses barriers often overlooked in traditional sport, including safety, body confidence, menstrual wellbeing, cultural inclusion and representation. We also create pathways into sustained participation through local clubs, leisure centres and community activities, helping girls remain active beyond individual events. Ultimately, we are creating a replicable model that strengthens partnerships, builds community capacity and helps communities create spaces where girls feel safe, active and included.
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?
Our approach to sustainability is rooted in building community capacity and strengthening the local systems that support young people's participation in physical activity. Rather than creating a programme that relies solely on Girls Allowed, we are developing a model that can be supported, championed & replicated by communities, partners and local stakeholders. The initiative is built on strong cross-sector partnerships with local authorities, schools, community organisations, public health teams, leisure providers & community safety partners. By aligning these stakeholders around a shared vision for healthier, safer & more active neighbourhoods, we are creating collective ownership of the solution rather than placing responsibility on a single organisation. Our long-term sustainability strategy includes developing Youth Ambassadors, community volunteers and local champions who can help lead activities, engage residents and advocate for the continued use of public spaces for play and physical activity. This approach increases community resilience while reducing reliance on external delivery. We see significant potential to scale the model across London. Street Play is intentionally designed as a flexible and replicable framework that can be adapted to different communities while maintaining its core principles of youth leadership, community ownership and inclusive physical activity. Through our existing partnerships across Westminster, Lambeth, Brent & Kensington & Chelsea, we already have strong foundations for wider implementation. Our ambition is to move beyond scaling delivery and instead scale influence. We want to demonstrate how public spaces can be reimagined as community assets that support physical activity, wellbeing and social connection.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
Our initiative is delivered through a collaborative partnership model that shares leadership, resources and responsibility across community organisations, public sector partners and young people. We believe sustainable change happens when communities work together towards a shared vision rather than relying on a single organisation. ESP Foundation provides overall leadership, governance, safeguarding, project management, monitoring and evaluation. The Programme Director coordinates delivery, partnership development, community engagement and stakeholder management, ensuring activities remain aligned to our long-term systems change goals. Young people play a central role through our Youth Ambassador pathway. They help co-design activities, identify barriers, gather feedback and influence how public spaces are used. Their lived experience ensures the initiative remains relevant, inclusive and responsive to community needs. Westminster City Council supports permissions, road closures and community engagement, while Ward Councillors act as local champions, helping strengthen relationships with residents. Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams contribute to creating safe, welcoming environments and building positive relationships with young people. Partners including Active Westminster, Everyone Active, Bikeability and specialist activity providers, contribute facilities, equipment, expertise and progression pathways into sustained physical activity. Public health and NHS partners CNWL support health promotion, wellbeing and social prescribing opportunities. By combining youth leadership, community ownership and cross-sector collaboration, each partner contributes unique expertise towards a shared goal: creating safer, more active neighbourhoods where girls feel confident, visible and supported to participate in physical activity.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
Spring/Summer 2026 – Youth Co-Design and Community Engagement We will work with Young Ambassadors, schools, families and community groups to shape activities, identify barriers and ensure the initiative reflects local needs and lived experiences. Spring/Summer 2026 – Partnership and Systems Development We will strengthen collaboration with Westminster City Council, RBKC, Brent, community safety partners, public health teams, schools and activity providers to establish shared priorities and a coordinated approach to delivery. Summer 2026 – Street Play Delivery Street Play sessions will transform underused public spaces into safe, welcoming environments for physical activity, social connection and youth leadership. Summer/Autumn 2026 – Impact Measurement and Learning We will collect participation data, feedback, case studies and stakeholder insights to measure changes in confidence, perceptions of safety, community engagement and access to physical activity. Findings will help refine the model and strengthen evidence of impact. Autumn 2026 onwards – Building Community Capacity We will expand our Youth Ambassador programme, community champions and volunteer network to increase local leadership and community ownership. 2027 onwards – Scaling and Embedding the Model Using learning from delivery, we will work with partners to replicate the model across additional boroughs and explore opportunities to establish permanent Play Streets and influence public health and community safety strategies. These milestones support our long-term goal of creating safer, more active communities where girls' participation in physical activity is normalised, prioritised and aligned with the Fairer Westminster strategy.
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.
As a small, freelance-reliant team, the 8-week capacity-building program requires specific support. We would welcome consideration for support allocated for potential expenditures: 1. External Expertise and Services (£7,500): •Freelance Project Support (approx. £5,000): To cover a temporary freelance project coordinator for the 8-week program. This individual will manage day-to-day responsibilities, communications, and logistics, enabling our core team to fully engage without compromising project momentum, ensuring continuity. • Specialised Consultancy (approx. £2,500): For targeted expertise identified during the program, such as refining our impact measurement framework, developing a robust scaling strategy or legal advice for expanding our street play model. This external input enhances project development and strategic planning. 2. Direct Project Costs (£2,500): •Pilot Program Development Materials (approx. £1,500): Funding for resources and materials directly linked to refining and piloting new elements of our EndZones model. This includes enhanced educational resources (breast health/menstrual cycle preparation) or specialised equipment for new Youth Ambassador-identified activities (e.g., pickleball nets, adaptive bikes). •Digital Tools & Software (approx. £1,000): Investment in project management software, data analysis tools or communication platforms supporting initiative development and implementation (during/post-program), ensuring efficient collaboration and impact tracking. This breakdown ensures our team can fully leverage the capacity-building opportunity, bringing our Girls Allowed - EndZones initiative to the next level of maturity and impact, without diverting essential resources from our core mission.
Now that you've explored what it truly means to put young people at the centre, how are you designing your initiative so that young people are genuine co-leaders and co-creators of the initiative?
Through the Go! London programme, we have reflected on the difference between consulting young people and genuinely co-creating with them. As a result, we are intentionally ensuring a nothing about us, without us approach to Street Play. So that young people shape not only the activities delivered, but the wider vision, priorities and use of the space. Our Youth Ambassadors will lead focus groups with previous participants, community youth groups and girls that have never engaged in Girls Allowed across multiple boroughs to explore what outdoor play means to them, what barriers prevent them from participating and what would help them feel safe and welcome in public spaces. We will also survey participants to understand perceptions of safety, community belonging and physical activity. Young people will help identify activities, test ideas and shape how the Play Street operates. Their lived experience will inform decisions around road safety, accessibility, activity design and community engagement. We want to get young people to step into their differences, rather than “fit in” through our EndZone initiative. We want them to influence how public space is used rather than simply participate within it. This represents a shift from delivering activities for young people to co-creating solutions with them. Through Youth Ambassadors detached outreach and roundtables, young people will gather feedback, present findings to programme leads and coaches and help shape future delivery. By embedding youth voice into decision-making, we are creating a model where young people are recognised as changemakers, helping reimagine community spaces in ways that better reflect their needs and aspirations.
What partnerships and collaborations are most critical to delivering and sustaining your initiative and how are you building/ plan to build them?
Street Play relies on strong cross-sector collaboration because the barriers we are addressing sit across multiple systems including physical activity, public health, community safety, education and community development. Westminster City Council and Queens Park Community Council are critical partners in supporting road closures, community engagement and the long-term ambition of embedding Play Streets within local planning and community priorities. Ward councillors Cara Sanquest, MP Georgia Gould and the Lord Mayor Karen Scarborough will be invited to participate (not just be in attendance), helping strengthen community ownership and visibility. Public health and NHS partners, including Robyn Doran’s CNWL Wellbeing Team, will support place-based social prescribing and detached outreach. Through volunteering and community engagement, they will connect families to wider wellbeing support and help promote healthy lifestyles. We will also connect parents to Mums Allowed and local Change4Life opportunities. Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams presence led by Superintendent Natasha Evans play an important role in the community affected by serious youth violence. Their visible presence throughout helps improve perceptions of safety, build trust and strengthen relationships between residents and local services. Schools, youth organisations such as the Avenues Youth Project and faith groups such as Queens Park Bangladeshi Association will help reach families, particularly those who face barriers to engagement, such as language needs or limited awareness of local opportunities. These partners will also help create progression pathways into year-round activities. Collaborating with organisations such as Grenfell United, our aim is to move beyond isolated partnerships towards a shared vision where community organisations, public services and residents collectively contribute to creating safer, healthier and more active neighbourhoods.
What are you measuring, how are you measuring it, and what does the data tell you so far (quantitative and qualitative)?
We are measuring both participation outcomes and indicators of longer-term systems change. Quantitative measures include participant numbers, number of sessions delivered, number of community partners engaged, postcode data, ethnicity, age, repeat attendance, progression into other activities, signposting engagement and access to support such as free meals. We will also track the removal of barriers to participation through the provision of sports bras, appropriate clothing and equipment. Qualitative measures focus on participant experience and community impact. Through surveys, focus groups, youth-led consultations and case studies we will explore whether participants have made new friends, feel safer in their neighbourhood, have increased confidence to try new activities, experience reduced loneliness and demonstrate personal growth and leadership. Our existing Girls Allowed data shows that girls are more likely to engage when activities are culturally responsive, delivered in safe environments and designed around their lived experiences. We have also seen that addressing barriers such as breast health, menstrual wellbeing and clothing poverty increases confidence and participation. Beyond individual outcomes, we are interested in understanding whether young people's voices influence local decision-making, whether community relationships strengthen and whether public spaces become more accessible and welcoming for girls. These indicators will help us understand whether we are contributing to longer-term systems change rather than simply delivering activities.
Long-term impact: what lasting systems change are you seeking to create and how will you know when it has happened?
Our long-term systems change goal is to create a community-led model where public spaces are routinely used to support youth engagement, physical activity and community wellbeing, with young people actively shaping the decisions that affect them. We want to move beyond delivering activities and instead help transform a local street into a recognised Play Street at agreed times, creating a safe, welcoming environment for children and families living in nearby overcrowded housing and surrounding communities. By reducing traffic and encouraging positive use of the space, we aim to improve perceptions of safety, reduce anxiety associated with the area and promote healthier, more active lifestyles. We believe lasting change happens when communities collectively take ownership of solutions. Therefore, a key ambition is to establish a sustainable active forum that brings together young people, residents, community organisations, schools, public health teams, police and local authorities to regularly collaborate around youth engagement and physical activity. Rather than operating in silos, partners will work towards a shared vision, shared priorities and shared accountability for improving local opportunities for young people. We envision this being supported through the Queens Park Community Council Children's and Young People's Working Group, providing a long-term structure through which community voices, particularly those of young people, can influence local decision-making and drive actionable outcomes strategically. We will know systems change is happening when Play Streets become a recognised and valued part of community life; when young people are routinely involved in shaping local decisions; when stakeholders collaborate regularly rather than independently and when residents, schools, health services and community organisations collectively champion safe, active spaces for young people. Success is not simply more participation, but a lasting shift in how public spaces are used, how communities work together and how young people's voices are valued within local systems.
Is there anything else you'd like to share with us that you were not able to share in previous questions?
A further opportunity we would like to explore is the temporary suspension of parking bays or the use of private roads during Street Play sessions to create safer spaces for cycling. This would allow more girls to build cycling confidence in a controlled environment while demonstrating how public space can be reimagined to support community wellbeing, physical activity and road safety. We hope to see Street Play embedded within local authority planning, community safety strategies, public health approaches and major city-wide initiatives. Collaborating and supporting organisations such as our Community and Maternity Champions, this could be embedded as a strategy that supports their detached outreach. Success will be achieved when communities, partners and young people have the relationships, confidence and infrastructure to continue creating opportunities for physical activity independently. This would represent a shift from isolated programmes to a sustainable system that consistently prioritises girls' access to safe, welcoming spaces for movement and play.
