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
SARAH
Last Name
ROBERTSON
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
FUTURE MOLDS COMMUNITIES CIO
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2010
Initiative Title
POSITIVE PEERS PROGRAMME
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
www.futuremc.org.uk Insta: future_molds_communities_ Facebook: Futuremccommunities
Initiative Stage
Growth (You’ve moved past the very first activities; working towards the next level of expansion.)
Sectors/Themes: What topic does your project most directly relate to?
Children & Youth
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
A strategy created by young people for young people to lead on reducing inactivity, building community cohesion whilst taking a place-based approach and gaining a qualification in the process.
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?
FMC and BDYD are resident-led organisations with over 40 years’ combined youth work experience, operating in Barking & Dagenham for the past 23 years. During this time, we have witnessed rapid change alongside the consistent neglect of resident voice. Our borough ranks highly for deprivation, domestic violence, low academic attainment and unemployment, with youth violence increasingly rising. In response, we provide free, daily positive diversionary and physical activities alongside holistic support for children, young people and families. Everything we do is resident-driven, delivered by local staff and a committed bank of volunteers. Despite acquiring and transforming a former council building into a thriving community-led asset, wider systems continue to fail our residents, with significant investment often directed toward initiatives that do not deliver sustainable change. For over a decade, FMC and BDYD have partnered on pioneering initiatives that place young people at the centre of systems change. Through our Youth Health Ambassadors, young leaders shape the borough’s Health Inequalities Commission alongside GPs, Clinical Psychiatrists and the Head of CAMHS, and are developing a Youth Health Quality Assurance framework to ensure services are truly youth friendly. We lead the BD Collective Initiative and City Shapers (Mayor’s Fund), mapping unused spaces for sport, arts and play. Young people have been clear in their feedback: there is a lack of accessible activities, rising exclusions and insufficient celebration of youth voice. Reimagining JSH as a dedicated hub for sport, dance, fitness and wellbeing directly responds to this need, embedding youth leadership at the heart of community transformation.
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 home, John Smith House (JSH), was once a refuge for people experiencing homelessness and is now a thriving, resident-led youth centre. It has become a safe, aspirational space providing support, sports, physical and positive activities to over 2900 people annually, while nurturing confidence, resilience, and leadership. FMC and BDYD integrate sports and dance practice into accredited youth work training, equipping young people with coaching, facilitation and creative leadership skills. FMC & BDYD are addressing the lack of accessible sports spaces in Barking & Dagenham by transforming JSH into a welcoming, youth-friendly sports and wellbeing hub. Our solution builds on our proven model of recruiting 10 young people on our accredited Youth Work in Sport qualification, equipping them with the skills and training as youth workers and community sports leaders and has already launched 6 additional resident-led activities reaching 50+ residents. This model increases the number of qualified local youth practitioners and strengthens our organisational capacity, enabling us to expand the range and reach of physical activities delivered at JSH and the wider community. The JSH consortium already provide daily, resident-led activities and support services for children, young people and their families. Our work contributes to improved health and fitness, reduced social isolation, increased confidence and self-esteem, improved access to services, reduced financial insecurity and youth violence and greater access to positive diversionary opportunities. We seek to test and scale this model by expanding participation to 30 young people, embedding community ownership and empowering residents to take responsibility for healthier lifestyles that drive long-term systemic change.
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?
FMC & BDYD are resident-led organisations reimagining John Smith House as a youth-designed hub for sport, play and wellbeing in Barking & Dagenham, one of London’s least active boroughs. The initiative is shaped directly by young people and residents who have identified a lack of accessible and welcoming spaces to be active. All of FMC and BDYD’s services are resident-led. We have established Youth Consultants inform our strategy through their lived experience, shaping how our space is used and what activities are prioritised. From this group, the Youth Health Ambassadors were developed. They work alongside CAMHS, GPs, clinicians, public health and schools to embed youth voice into systems affecting them, consistently highlighting the link between physical inactivity, poor mental health and limited safe spaces for sport and play. Together, FMC & BDYD are co-designing JSH with young people, from programming and layout to activity design. Through our award-winning NCFE-accredited Level 2 in Sports & Arts Based Youth Practice, 10 young people have already qualified and launched dance, boxing, football and creative arts sessions for residents. They are not participants; they are activators of space. By expanding this model to 30 young leaders, we will transform the building into a vibrant, youth-powered sports hub, increasing activity levels, strengthening community ownership and ensuring the space evolves with the needs of local young people. We will create clear and inspiring pathways into Dance and Sport, embedding creativity and physical activity into youth leadership development. The youth leaders led the evaluation process of the pilot programme and informed the developments into this new phase.
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?
We have already successfully piloted the accredited training programme with 10 young people who have gone on to provide additional activities as youth leaders. This has demonstrated the works ability to unlock new spaces for physical activity as 3 of these activities are on a neglected, isolated and run-down estate with high levels or anti-social behaviour and crime. The youth leaders have established trusted relationships with over 30 young people so far. Many of these young people have been referred or signposted into other activities and support. Some of the wider family members also engage with JSH for support and to engage in positive and physical activities. This is creating cross neighbourhood support systems. Together with BDYD we were award winners and recognised by London Youth for our innovative accredited qualification. Informed by monitoring and evaluation of this pilot and the current lack of youth voice in services we have developed some elements of the training, particularly around increasing knowledge of children and young peoples’ rights and advocacy and representation. If we are able to work with another 30 young people, we will have a much larger evidence base of the programmes impact. The 30 young people will have a huge impact on the borough as well as improve young people’s ability to participate in youth representation in systems change. With the added capacity building support, we can apply a more robust evaluation process. We would also like to explore how to make the work digital increasing the ability to scale the work.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
Our initiative transforms John Smith House into a vibrant, youth-led hub for sport, play and wellbeing, tackling the lack of accessible physical activity spaces in the borough. Combining space activation with accredited training, we are creating sustainable pathways for young people to lead sport and creative sessions in their own community. We successfully piloted our Level 2 Sports & Arts Based Youth Practice with 10 young people who designed and delivered 6 new activities, including dance, boxing, football and creative arts to 50+ residents. Monitoring and evaluating the pilot allowed us to refine the qualification, strengthening elements around children and young people’s rights, safeguarding, and inclusion. This demonstrates that empowering young people to lead not only increases participation but builds leadership capacity that endures beyond individual projects. With Go London’s support, we plan to expand the programme to 30 more young leaders, generating larger evidence base and applying a more robust evaluation framework. We aim to explore digital tools to increase engagement and capture impact in innovative ways. This initiative will unlock underused spaces, increase the borough’s physical activity provision, strengthen community ownership and create a scalable model that positions young people as drivers of long-term, systemic change in health, wellbeing and activity levels. They will gain recognised qualifications, practical experience, and progression routes into further training, employment and volunteering within creative, sports and health sectors. Combining FMC’s expertise in sports and youth development with BDYD’s excellence in dance engagement, we strengthen community ownership, amplify youth voice and transform a valued community asset.
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?
FMC and BDYD are setting this initiative up for success through a combination of strategic planning, partnership and youth-led delivery. By transforming John Smith House into a dedicated sports and wellbeing hub, we have created a permanent, accessible space that can host multiple activities while embedding youth leadership at its core. Operational sustainability is supported by our NCFE-accredited Youth Work in Sports and Arts programme, which trains local young people to lead sessions, build peer networks and generate community-led activities, ensuring the hub continues to thrive beyond project funding. We are exploring multiple routes to scale and embed our work. This includes developing apprenticeship pathways and integrating the programme into school curricula, piloting sessions in local schools, offering alternative educational provision to Pupil Referral Units and creating inclusive opportunities for home-educated children. Digital tools are also being explored to broaden engagement and allow young leaders to share resources and learning across the borough. Partnerships with local schools, public health teams, CAMHS and community organisations provide both expertise and a supportive network, while ongoing monitoring and evaluation will strengthen evidence of impact. Our vision is a sustainable, borough-wide model where underused spaces are unlocked, young people are empowered as activity leaders and more children and young people gain access to regular sport, play and wellbeing opportunities, driving long-term health and social outcomes.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
Our initiative has been developed in close partnership between FMC and BDYD, building on a 10-year collaboration to address inequalities and embed youth voice in local systems. Responsibilities are shared across both organisations to ensure high-quality delivery and support for young people. Youth workers from FMC and BDYD provide hands-on support throughout the programme, mentoring participants, sharing their expertise, and helping them develop leadership and facilitation skills. They work alongside tutors and assessors who deliver the NCFE-accredited training, ensuring young people gain recognised qualifications while building practical experience. Trusted adults and volunteers contribute to the delivery of practical sessions, supporting young people as they lead dance, boxing, football and creative arts activities for their peers. Their presence ensures sessions are safe, inclusive, and engaging. Internal Quality Assurance staff oversee alignment with NCFE requirements, supporting young people and staff to meet accreditation standards and maintain programme quality. Together, FMC and BDYD form a collaborative delivery team: FMC leads on community engagement, programme coordination, and youth-led strategy, while BDYD contributes specialist expertise in dance, creative practice and activity delivery. By sharing responsibilities across youth workers, tutors, volunteers, and QA staff, the programme ensures that young people are supported, trained and empowered to take ownership of activities and sustain long-term impact within their communities.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
Upcoming Milestones (24-month programme) Our initiative will engage 30 young people in three cohorts of 10 over two years, combining accredited training with youth-led activity delivery: • Month 1: Group 1 engaged and begins NCFE-accredited Sports & Arts Based Youth Practice training • Month 6: Group 1 completes training and achieves Level 2 accreditation • Month 7: Celebration and evaluation event for Group 1; interim evaluation report produced • Month 8: Group 2 begins training • Months 8–10: Group 1 delivers additional youth-led physical activities (dance, boxing, football, creative arts) • Month 13: Celebration and evaluation event for Group 2; interim evaluation report produced • Month 14: Group 3 begins training • Months 14–16: Group 2 delivers additional youth-led physical activities • Months 19–21: Group 3 delivers additional youth-led physical activities • Month 22: Final celebration event and impact report, including analysis of participation, outcomes, and plans for sustainability and scalability Throughout the programme, FMC and BDYD staff, tutors, volunteers and Internal Quality Assurance personnel will support each cohort, ensuring delivery meets accreditation standards and aligns with youth-led objectives. Regular monitoring and evaluation will track outputs and outcomes, capturing the growth of young leaders, community engagement and the impact of newly delivered activities. This structured approach ensures that each cohort builds skills, delivers meaningful activities and contributes to the long-term activation of John Smith House as a sustainable hub for sport, play, and wellbeing.
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.
Both FMC and BDYD are resident-led organisations, with CEOs playing a central role in the day-to-day management of each organisation, overseeing programme delivery, community engagement, staff coordination and operational management. Funding to support the CEOs during this initiative would allow both organisations to maintain normal services while dedicating time to programme delivery, mentoring, partnership coordination and sustainment. We propose sharing the funding across both CEOs to cover a portion of their time, ensuring continuity of core services in each organisation. The total cost required is approximately £9000, covering up to 8 weeks of capacity for both CEOs to focus on programme oversight, supporting young people, liaising with NCFE tutors and coordinating activities across John Smith House. As staff are primarily local, travel costs are expected to be minimal but may also be included to enable attendance at partner meetings or site visits. This shared approach ensures both FMC and BDYD can dedicate leadership capacity to deliver the programme effectively, while maintaining existing services and maximising the number of young people trained and resident-led activities delivered.
If you selected “Other”, please specify below.
NA
