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), 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
1
First Name
Last Name
Pronouns
Email address
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Are you an Ashoka Fellow?
Are you applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow?
If you are applying from an organization founded by an Ashoka Fellow, please specify the name and organisation of the fellow below.
Initiative Title
Green Netball Hub – Sports for Climate Action
Lead Organization Name
KIDS N ACTION
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2003
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
https://www.kidsnaction.co.uk/
Initiative Stage
Idea (You have a solid concept and are hoping to get started in the future)
Sectors/Themes: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Children & Youth
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
Green Netball Hub is a youth-led initiative that combines weekly netball sessions with climate awareness and low-carbon practices, piloting innovative ways to make sport in London more environmentally responsible and resilient to climate impacts.
Challenge Focus: What topic does your initiative most directly relate to?
Enabling 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?
Young people in London, particularly those from underserved communities, are already experiencing the effects of the climate crisis on their ability to play, move, and connect. Extreme heat, poor air quality, rising energy and waste-management costs, and damaged or unplayable outdoor spaces are disrupting opportunities for sport and physical activity, limiting safe participation, and putting pressure on community infrastructure. This disproportionately impacts girls and young people from low-income backgrounds, who often have fewer safe and welcoming spaces to be active. Kids N’ Action is embedded in these communities through our existing netball programmes and works directly with participants and their families. We see first-hand how climate conditions can prevent regular participation, reduce confidence, and limit social connection. By piloting the Green Netball Hub, we aim to enable young people to continue playing sport safely and sustainably, while also empowering them to lead climate-positive actions within their communities.
Your approach: How are you addressing the problem outlined above? How are you using the power of sport and physical activity to build awareness, shift behavior, and enable sustainable participation for all in response to the climate crisis? We'd love to know about the origin of your idea, and what was your "aha" moment" that led you to take action?
In London, climate change is already affecting the way young people can play, move, and connect. Extreme heat, poor air quality, rising energy costs, and damaged outdoor spaces disrupt access to safe and inclusive sporting opportunities. For children and young people from underserved communities, these impacts are felt most acutely — particularly girls and those with fewer safe local spaces. Many miss out on the physical, social, and mental health benefits of regular sport, while their confidence, resilience, and sense of belonging are affected. Through Kids N’ Action’s netball programmes, we see firsthand how climate-related challenges prevent young people from participating consistently. These disruptions not only limit access to sport but also reduce opportunities for peer connection, skill-building, and leadership development. Solving this problem matters to us because every young person deserves a safe, welcoming space to be active, regardless of environmental or social barriers. By creating the Green Netball Hub, we aim to pilot a climate-resilient, youth-led model that allows young people to continue playing safely while embedding sustainable practices and leadership opportunities that can influence their families and communities.
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?
Collaboration with Young People and the Community The Green Netball Hub is co-designed and led by the young people it serves, ensuring the project directly responds to their needs, experiences, and ideas. From the outset, participants aged 8–16 will take part in design workshops, where they identify climate-related challenges affecting their ability to play, move, and connect — from extreme heat and poor air quality to waste and energy concerns at our venue. Young participants will shape the activities, schedules, and sustainability practices, including selecting eco-friendly session routines, designing peer-led climate awareness challenges, and creating practical solutions for kit reuse, hydration, and active travel. Ten to fifteen participants will be trained as Green Captains, taking a leadership role in running sessions, mentoring peers, and promoting environmentally responsible behaviours among families and the wider community. Parents, carers, and local residents will be invited to community showcase events, enabling intergenerational learning and feedback. Local volunteers will support sessions where appropriate, strengthening community connections. By placing young people at the centre, Green Netball Hub ensures the project is rooted in lived experience, responsive to local needs, and empowering participants to lead climate-positive action while keeping sport safe, inclusive, and enjoyable.
Potential for/Evidence of Impact: How do you imagine your initiative will make a difference in raising climate awareness, shifting behaviors, or reducing environmental impact or harm? 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?
The Green Netball Hub is designed to create measurable, long-term impact by combining sport with climate action in ways that are practical, youth-led, and replicable. By embedding sustainability and climate-resilient practices into netball sessions, we aim to shift attitudes and behaviours among 50–60 young participants per term. Participants will develop climate literacy and leadership skills through workshops, Green Captain training, and peer-led activities, enabling them to influence their families and local community. Concrete outputs include: Weekly netball sessions with low-carbon practices (shared kit, energy-efficient lighting, active travel incentives). Youth-led climate challenges and community showcase events. A short “Green Sports Hub Toolkit” capturing best practices and learning for other clubs. We anticipate long-term impacts such as: Increased awareness and proactive behaviour on climate issues among participants. Continued safe participation in sport despite environmental challenges. Replication of the model across London by other community clubs. While this is a new initiative, Kids N’ Action’s established track record in delivering netball and youth programmes ensures credible, evidence-based implementation. Monitoring and evaluation will include participation numbers, surveys on climate knowledge and behaviour change, and qualitative stories from participants, providing clear evidence of scale, depth, and impact over time.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
Here’s a strong, application-ready draft for the Innovation section for Kids N’ Action’s Green Netball Hub, aligned with Go! London’s guidance and under 1800 characters: Innovation The Green Netball Hub is innovative because it integrates climate action directly into grassroots sport delivery, creating a model that is both youth-led and environmentally responsible — something not commonly seen in London community sports programmes. While many clubs deliver sport or run climate awareness sessions separately, our initiative combines the two, using netball as a platform to embed sustainable practices, climate literacy, and youth leadership simultaneously. The project introduces practical, low-cost adaptations to enable climate-resilient participation, such as heat-safe scheduling, shared kit libraries, energy-efficient lighting, and active-travel incentives. Young people are not just participants; they are co-designers and Green Captains, shaping the sessions, leading peer activities, and influencing their families and local community. This approach addresses the root problem: young people being excluded from sport due to environmental and social barriers, rather than only raising awareness about climate issues. Additionally, the Hub will produce a replicable “Green Sports Hub Toolkit”, capturing insights, methods, and best practices, so that other community clubs can adopt similar approaches across London. By linking youth leadership, sport participation, and climate resilience, this initiative shifts community norms around how sport can be delivered responsibly, safely, and sustainably, while inspiring collective action on climate change.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
Channah Rapaport – Project Manager / Lead Applicant I will oversee the overall delivery of Green Netball Hub, including project planning, budgeting, safeguarding, monitoring, and reporting. I will coordinate sessions, manage staff and volunteers, and ensure the project aligns with Go! London’s objectives. Netball Coaches / Session Leaders Our coaches will deliver weekly netball sessions, embed climate-resilient practices into play, and support Green Captains in leading activities. They will also collect attendance data and feedback to inform project learning. Green Captains (Young People, aged 8–16) Selected participants will take on leadership roles within the Hub. They will co-design session activities, lead peer discussions on climate awareness, help run community events, and act as ambassadors for sustainable practices among their peers and families. Parents / Community Volunteers Volunteers will support session logistics, supervise participants, and assist during community showcase events, strengthening intergenerational engagement. Optional Partners (light-touch) If included, a local environmental charity or council sustainability team will deliver targeted workshops, provide advice on low-carbon operations, and support evaluation. Their role complements the Hub without taking on delivery responsibility. This structure ensures that responsibilities are clearly defined, young people are central to leadership, and delivery is supported by experienced staff, while optional partners add expertise without increasing project complexity.
Viability and Scalability: How are you setting your organization 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?
Kids N’ Action has an established track record of delivering youth sport programmes in London, with robust safeguarding, staff capacity, and community trust — providing a strong foundation to pilot the Green Netball Hub successfully. Operational sustainability is built into the project through clear staff roles, volunteer support, youth leadership via Green Captains, and a focus on low-cost, low-carbon adaptations that are practical and repeatable. To ensure long-term impact, we will embed monitoring and evaluation processes from the start, capturing participation data, behaviour change, and lessons learned. Insights will be shared through a short “Green Sports Hub Toolkit,” enabling other community clubs to adopt similar approaches. For scaling, the Hub could expand to other netball venues, multi-sport clubs, or boroughs, either through partnerships with local authorities, schools, or environmental organisations. Additional support from funders, sustainability advisors, and community partners would allow replication while keeping youth co-design central, creating a network of climate-resilient, youth-led sports hubs across London.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/ to grow.
Upcoming Milestones: Months 1–2: Co-Design and Planning Run workshops with young participants to identify climate-related challenges and co-design Hub activities. Recruit Green Captains and volunteers. Finalise session schedules, climate-resilient adaptations, and monitoring framework. Months 3–4: Pilot Launch Begin weekly netball sessions with climate-resilient practices in place. Implement kit-sharing, low-carbon operations, and active-travel initiatives. Green Captains lead peer discussions and mini climate-action challenges. Months 5–6: Mid-Pilot Review & Community Engagement Collect participation data, feedback, and early behaviour-change indicators. Host a small community showcase event to share learning and involve families. Adjust sessions based on evaluation and participant feedback. Months 7–8: Pilot Consolidation Continue sessions with refinements from mid-pilot review. Green Captains mentor new participants and lead sustainability initiatives. Document learning and prepare content for the Green Sports Hub Toolkit. Months 9: Evaluation & Learning Report Analyse participation, climate-awareness impact, and operational outcomes. Produce a toolkit for replication and share learnings with other London clubs. Plan next phase for potential scaling or replication.
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 (LINK).
If selected as a finalist, Kids N’ Action will fully participate in the 8-week capacity-building programme hosted by Go! London. To enable this, we would request funding to cover the following: Staff time – £7,000 Project Manager and key staff will dedicate time to attend workshops, mentoring sessions, and collaborative development activities over the 8 weeks. Travel and local transport – £3,000 Costs for commuting to programme sessions across London for staff. Total funding requested: £10,000 This support will ensure that staff can fully engage in all programme activities, apply learning directly to the Green Netball Hub, and strengthen project design, delivery, and evaluation for maximum impact.
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