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
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Last Name
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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
Resilient Swim: Climate-Smart Aquatic Access for Vulnerable Youth
Lead Organization Name
The Cheer-Up Squad Ltd.
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2011
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
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?
Environment & Sustainability
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
Resilient Swim relaunches therapeutic swimming for medically vulnerable young people in Hackney as a 40-week climate-resilient pilot, embedding youth-led environmental awareness and low-carbon practices into accessible indoor sport.
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?
Children aged 8–17 whom we support in Hackney, including many from the local Jewish community, are living with chronic or long-term conditions such as asthma, Crohn’s disease and cancer. Many come from disadvantaged families where financial hardship is compounded by medical expenses and reduced income due to caregiving responsibilities. Access to structured sport is often unaffordable or logistically difficult. Climate change is intensifying this inequality. Heatwaves, extreme weather and poor air quality increasingly disrupt outdoor sport across London. Research shows children are particularly vulnerable to the health impacts of air pollution (World Health Organization, 2021). For medically vulnerable young people, high temperatures and pollution are health risks, not minor inconveniences. When outdoor sessions are cancelled or unsafe, access to physical activity shrinks further. Yet movement is essential for rehabilitation, mental wellbeing and rebuilding confidence after illness. As a grassroots Hackney charity embedded in this community, we see how environmental pressures compound existing disadvantage. Without climate-resilient alternatives, the young people already facing the greatest barriers will be the first excluded from sport in a changing climate.
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?
Resilient Swim builds on our previous Swimming for Recovery programme, redesigning it as a climate-adaptive pilot. During recent citywide heatwaves and air-quality alerts, we observed how outdoor sport was frequently disrupted. While our former indoor swimming sessions were delivered safely, we recognised that aquatic facilities represent more than therapeutic spaces, they can function as climate-protected infrastructure for vulnerable youth. This pilot will support 30 disadvantaged young people aged 8–17 over 40 weeks of weekly swimming at Britannia Leisure Centre, aligned with school terms to ensure consistent attendance and volunteer sustainability. We will subsidise entry (£7.50 per session) and provide volunteer support to remove financial and practical barriers. Swimming offers year-round, temperature-controlled access less affected by extreme weather. We will integrate: • Monthly 5-minute Climate Micro-Moments linking sport, health and resilience • Individual Youth Climate Pledges • Encouragement of low-carbon travel • Reusable swim kits • A simple sustainability checklist embedded in delivery Through this model, swimming becomes both a recovery pathway and a practical demonstration of climate-resilient, environmentally responsible sport.
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?
The Cheer-Up Squad is a grassroots Hackney charity founded by parents with lived experience of caring for seriously ill children. Many trustees, volunteers and Youth Panel members were previously beneficiaries or family members of beneficiaries. Our leadership reflects the community we serve. Youth participation is central to our approach. Our Youth Panel has previously co-designed programmes including Growing Hope and Cheer Therapy Mission. Our former swimming programme emerged from a survey of 100 beneficiaries at Homerton University Hospital, where young people identified strong interest in accessible aquatic activity. Resilient Swim continues this participatory model through a Youth Advisory Circle (6–8 participants) who will: • Co-design Climate Micro-Moments • Develop peer-led Climate Pledges • Review travel and sustainability practices • Contribute to end-of-programme reflection Young people actively shape how climate resilience is embedded within sport delivery, ensuring relevance and authenticity.
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?
Resilient Swim will engage 30 young people over 40 weeks, generating approximately 1,200 supported swim attendances annually. Within 12 months we anticipate: • At least 80% maintain or increase weekly physical activity • 75% report increased confidence participating during extreme weather • 80% demonstrate improved understanding of climate-health links (pre/post surveys) • 70% adopt at least one measurable sustainable behaviour Indoor delivery reduces disruption compared to outdoor sport during heat or pollution alerts, supporting sustained engagement among medically vulnerable youth. Travel mode tracking and equipment audits will monitor shifts toward reusable materials and lower-carbon travel. Our previous Swimming for Recovery programme demonstrated strong attendance retention and improved confidence. This pilot builds on that foundation while introducing structured climate engagement and sustainability metrics. Over time, we will produce a concise Climate-Smart Aquatic framework outlining practical learning for replication across other London communities.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
Resilient Swim addresses a structural gap: climate disruption disproportionately excludes medically vulnerable young people from sport, yet few initiatives redesign access itself. Rather than focusing on outdoor greening or standalone workshops, we apply a climate lens to therapeutic swimming and reposition indoor aquatic provision as protective infrastructure. This shifts the norm from reactive cancellation to proactive safeguarding of participation. Innovation operates at three levels: • Structural - framing indoor swimming as climate-resilient access • Behavioural - embedding measurable climate pledges and sustainable practices into routine delivery • Participatory - youth with lived experience co-designing the engagement model By integrating health recovery, environmental responsibility and youth leadership within one accessible framework, Resilient Swim offers a transferable model for equitable climate-resilient sport delivery.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
Resilient Swim is delivered through clearly defined and complementary roles across staff, volunteers, partners and young people. Project Lead (Part-Time Staff) Provides overall programme coordination, safeguarding oversight, budget management, monitoring and evaluation, and liaison with Britannia Leisure Centre and referral partners. The Project Lead ensures climate-safe scheduling, AQI monitoring and integration of sustainability tracking. Volunteer Team Trained volunteers support weekly swim sessions, provide accessibility assistance for medically vulnerable participants, and model low-carbon travel behaviours. They implement the sustainability checklist, track travel modes, and support delivery of Climate Micro-Moments. Britannia Leisure Centre Provides the indoor aquatic facility that enables year-round, climate-resilient participation. The venue partnership ensures consistent access to temperature-controlled infrastructure. Hospital and Referral Advisors Advise on medical readiness and safe participation thresholds, ensuring that vulnerable young people can transition safely into aquatic activity. Youth Advisory Circle Comprised of 6–8 participants, this group co-designs Climate Micro-Moments, develops Youth Climate Pledges, and provides quarterly feedback on sustainability practices Board of Trustees Provide strategic oversight, governance and accountability, ensuring the model remains mission-aligned and scalable.
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?
Resilient Swim is designed as a realistic relaunch pilot building on our previous Swimming for Recovery experience and existing volunteer infrastructure. Operationally, the model is lightweight: delivery is weekly, venue-based, and supported by trained volunteers, with no capital costs or complex equipment. We have an established relationship with Britannia Leisure Centre and a track record of coordinating medically supported activity for vulnerable young people. The per-session cost (£7.50 per participant) makes the programme financially predictable and scalable. Sustainability is strengthened through: • Volunteer-led delivery reducing staffing overhead • Reusable equipment and low infrastructure needs • Simple monitoring systems embedded in routine practice • Integration into our broader youth wellbeing pathway To scale, we aim to: • Increase participant numbers incrementally as funding allows • Form partnerships with additional London leisure centres • Document and publish a Climate-Smart Aquatic Model that can be replicated by other community organisations Longer term, we will seek blended funding from health, community and environmental funders to embed climate-resilient aquatic access as a core strand of our youth recovery work. By keeping the model simple, measurable and community-led, we position it for sustainable growth beyond the pilot year.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/ to grow.
September (Preparation & Set-Up) • Confirm venue agreement with Britannia Leisure Centre • Recruit 30 participants • Form Youth Advisory Circle • Volunteer refresher training and climate orientation • Finalise sustainability and monitoring tools October–July (Delivery Phase – 40 Weeks) • Weekly supported swim sessions • Monthly Climate Micro-Moments • Youth Climate Pledge tracking • Travel mode monitoring • Quarterly Youth Advisory Circle sessions March (Mid-Point Review) • Attendance and retention analysis • Participant feedback survey • Review of climate pledge uptake • Adjust delivery if needed July (Delivery Completion & Final Data Collection) • Final attendance tracking • End-of-programme participant surveys • Youth Advisory reflection session August (Evaluation & Sustainability Planning) • Full impact analysis (activity, confidence, behaviour metrics) • Financial sustainability review • Partnership and scale planning • Develop summary Climate-Smart Aquatic Framework September (Year 2 Development) • Dissemination conversations • Funding applications • Expansion discussions with additional venues
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).
We are motivated by the Challenge’s emphasis on practical, community-rooted climate action. As an organisation working with medically vulnerable young people, we believe climate adaptation must prioritise those most at risk of exclusion. The opportunity to refine and strengthen this climate-resilient aquatic pilot alongside peers aligns with our commitment to equity, innovation and sustainable impact.
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