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
Kate
Last Name
Sedwell
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
Atlantic Pacific International Rescue Ltd
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2016
Initiative Title
Unlocking the Dock, Reimagining Royal Docks for Youth Sport, Safety and Employment
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
www.atlanticpacific.org.uk https://www.instagram.com/atlantic.pacific/
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
Unlocking the Dock reimagines Royal Docks as a shared, youth-powered space for sport, play and opportunity. Although thousands of young people live within walking distance of the dock, open water access is currently limited and swimming proficiency in Newham remains low due to cost, confidence and structural barriers. A major public blue space exists, but for many local children, it is not truly accessible. This initiative transforms Royal Docks and local swimming pools into an inclusive, year-round pathway into water confidence and physical activity. Entire school year groups will engage in dockside safety education, subsidised winter pool sessions, and supervised open water experiences in summer, embedding sport and play directly into the urban environment. Alongside universal access, a targeted progression strand will support young people aged 16+ into lifeguard qualifications and paid roles, creating visible employment pathways linked to the space itself. By adapting infrastructure, aligning landowners and local authorities, and placing young people at the centre of design and delivery, Unlocking the Dock shifts power over how this public asset is used. It transforms a restricted waterfront into a welcoming, affordable and aspirational space, where young people do not just access sport, but belong to it.
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?
In Newham, many young people leave school unable to swim confidently. Although swimming is part of the national curriculum, stretched school budgets and the high cost of pool access mean lessons are often unaffordable. For low-income families, swimming remains one of the least accessible sports, and inequalities begin early. The consequences go beyond participation. Limited swimming ability reduces physical activity options, increases water safety risks, and creates barriers to employment. Through our Summer Splash programme, providing lifeguards at Royal Docks, we regularly meet motivated young people who aspire to work in leisure and health industries but cannot progress to National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) training because they do not meet minimum swim standards. Royal Docks is a major public blue space on their doorstep, yet open water access requires confidence and competence many do not have. The space is visible but not truly accessible. The infrastructure exists. The interest exists. The jobs exist. But structural barriers, affordability, low proficiency and lack of progression pathways, prevent equitable access. Atlantic Pacific witnesses this exclusion first-hand: capable young people ready for opportunity but blocked by a preventable skills gap. Swimming is not simply recreation, it is a life-saving skill, a gateway to physical activity and employment. Access to water is a public safety and equity issue, and Royal Docks should be a shared, active space that belongs to the young people who live beside it.
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?
Since 2019, Atlantic Pacific has delivered water safety, lifeguarding and rescue training from our base beside Royal Docks. Our centre sits metres from the water, yet many local young people cannot swim, so the dock remains physically close but functionally inaccessible. Our “aha” moment came during lifeguard recruitment. Young people were eager to work in leisure and health industries but failed swim tests because lessons were unaffordable or unavailable. The barrier was not motivation, it was structural access and progression. We are responding with a year-long pathway that unlocks both infrastructure and opportunity. In Autumn, entire school year groups begin at the dock with practical water safety education: cold water shock awareness, throw-line rescue, CPR and supervised familiarisation at the water’s edge. This reframes the dock as a learning and play space. In Winter, in partnership with Newham Council and local leisure providers, participants access subsidised pool sessions to build swimming proficiency. In Summer, young people return to Royal Docks in supervised open water sessions, practising floating, safe entry and confidence skills, supported by appropriate safety infrastructure and trained staff. We are working with Royal Docks Management Authority, the Greater London Authority (Royal Docks team), University of East London, Newham Council and Love Open Water to align governance, permissions and safety oversight. Together, we are shifting Royal Docks from a restricted waterfront to a structured, youth-centred pathway into sport, safety and employment.
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?
Atlantic Pacific has worked in Royal Docks for seven years and has built trusted relationships with local young people, schools and community organisations. Many young people who first engaged with us as participants are now qualified volunteers, sessional staff and lifeguards. Their lived experience directly informs how we design and adapt our programmes. For this initiative, we will formalise youth leadership through a Youth Water Panel made up of local young people who have faced barriers to swimming. This panel will contribute to key decisions including session structure, messaging, accessibility considerations, and progression pathways. They will test activities, advise on cultural relevance, and shape how the dock is presented as a community space. The Youth Water Panel will review and shape session design and outreach before implementation. We operate a peer-led delivery model. Young people who gain qualifications will be employed as assistant instructors and water safety mentors, supporting dockside sessions and acting as visible role models. This ensures participants see people “like them” leading activity in the space, shifting perceptions of who the dock is for. We also collaborate closely with local schools, youth services and grassroots organisations to identify barriers families face, from cost to confidence, and adapt delivery accordingly. Young people are not passive recipients of provision; they are co-designers, ambassadors and future custodians of the space. By embedding them in leadership and paid roles, we are redistributing ownership of Royal Docks and ensuring the initiative is shaped by those closest to the challenge.
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?
This pilot will unlock Royal Docks and local swimming pools as inclusive, structured spaces for physical activity at geographic scale. Within a four-square-mile radius of the dock, there are approximately 1,500–2,000 young people in a single school year cohort. Our ambition is to engage one full year group from each local school, alongside youth organisations, in a three-stage water pathway: • Autumn: Dockside water safety and rescue education (cold water shock, throw-line rescue, CPR, safe water awareness) • Winter: Structured, subsidised swimming sessions in local pools to build proficiency and confidence • Summer: Supervised open water sessions at Royal Docks, practising floating, safe entry and confidence skills Outputs in year one include engaging up to 2,000 young people in dockside safety education, progressing hundreds into pool sessions, and supporting at least 20 young people aged 16+ through intensive swim development, National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) training, and paid assistant lifeguard roles. In the short term, this increases water confidence, safety knowledge and participation in physical activity. In the medium term, it embeds Royal Docks into the educational journey of local schools. In the long term, it establishes a sustainable aquatic workforce pipeline and normalises open water as a safe, welcoming community space. By combining infrastructure activation, universal access and employment progression, we are not simply increasing participation, we are changing who this public blue space serves.
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 is innovative because it does not simply deliver swimming lessons, it restructures who can access and benefit from a major public blue space. Royal Docks is highly visible but functionally inaccessible to many local young people. Open water use is largely limited to organised clubs, and there is no inclusive pathway for non-swimmers to safely build confidence in the space. We are reimagining the dock as a structured educational and youth activation site, embedding supervised access, safety infrastructure and clear progression routes into how the space operates. We also tackle the root structural barrier: unequal access to swimming. Instead of expecting young people to independently afford pool lessons, we integrate subsidised winter pool sessions directly into the dock pathway, connecting pool learning to open water confidence. This links systems, education, leisure and employment, that typically operate in silos. Finally, we embed safety and paid opportunity into participation. Every young person receives practical water safety training. For those aged 16+, we fund progression into National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) training and paid assistant roles, transforming a leisure space into a visible workforce pipeline. The innovation lies in combining infrastructure activation, universal cohort access and employment progression into one coherent model. We are not simply adding activity to Royal Docks, we are shifting norms about who this space is for, how it is stewarded, and who holds power within it. This pilot will establish Royal Docks as a demonstrator site for inclusive urban blue space activation, informing future policy and access models across London.
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?
This initiative is built on strong operational foundations and long-term strategic alignment. Atlantic Pacific has operated in Royal Docks since 2019 and maintains active partnerships with Royal Docks Management Authority, the Greater London Authority (Royal Docks team), Newham Council, University of East London and Love Open Water. These partners support site access, governance, safeguarding oversight and alignment with the wider regeneration vision for the docks. The proposed development of a permanent lido at Royal Docks makes this pilot strategically significant. Our model can inform the lido’s access framework, safety protocols and community outreach strategy, ensuring youth inclusion and equitable access are embedded in future infrastructure from the outset. Operational sustainability will be strengthened through integrated employment pathways. By progressing 16+ participants into National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) training and paid assistant roles, we align with youth employment, skills and community safety funding streams. This creates blended funding opportunities beyond grant support, while building a local aquatic workforce that sustains the space. We will scale in three ways. First, depth: expanding from one year group to multiple cohorts within local schools. Second, geography: extending to schools within a 30-minute travel radius. Third, replication: producing an open-source blueprint, including risk assessments, infrastructure guidance and partnership frameworks, enabling other London boroughs to safely activate urban blue spaces. This positions Royal Docks as a demonstrator site for inclusive, community-led access to open water across London.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
Atlantic Pacific International Rescue Ltd will act as lead organisation and accountable body. We are responsible for programme design, safeguarding, risk management, infrastructure implementation, school coordination, delivery of dockside and pool sessions, progression into qualifications, employment placement, and monitoring and evaluation. Royal Docks Management Authority will enable safe activation of the dock by supporting site permissions, operational planning, infrastructure coordination and alignment with dock management protocols. The Greater London Authority (Royal Docks team) will provide strategic oversight and ensure alignment with the wider regeneration vision, including integration with future lido development and long-term community access models. Newham Council will support borough-wide school engagement, facilitate access to local swimming pools during winter months, and align the programme with youth services and safeguarding frameworks. University of East London will contribute community engagement support, research insight and student volunteer pathways to strengthen delivery capacity. Love Open Water will provide technical expertise in open water supervision, safety systems and managed access protocols. Young people are active partners in delivery. Through our peer mentor and assistant instructor pathway, qualified participants will support sessions, inform programme design and act as ambassadors within their schools and communities. This collaborative governance model ensures shared accountability, operational safety and long-term community stewardship of the space.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
Months 1–3: Foundation and Infrastructure Activation • Formalise partnership agreements and governance framework • Complete detailed risk assessments, safeguarding reviews and operational plans • Procure and install essential beach access and safety infrastructure at Royal Docks • Establish Youth Water Panel and co-design framework • Confirm participating schools and youth organisations • Set baseline metrics for swimming confidence and access Months 4–6: Autumn – Dockside Activation • Deliver structured water safety and rescue sessions to one full year group per participating school including designated supervised entry points and safety-managed beach access. • Embed Royal Docks within school term activity calendars • Collect baseline confidence and participation data • Recruit 16+ participants for intensive progression strand Months 7–9: Winter – Pool Progression and Skill Development • Deliver subsidised swimming sessions in partnership with local leisure providers • Track attendance, proficiency gains and engagement levels • Provide targeted swim development for 16+ cohort • Enrol selected participants onto National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) pathway Months 10–12: Summer – Open Water & Employment Integration • Deliver supervised open water sessions at Royal Docks • Support 16+ cohort to complete NPLQ • Employ at least 20 young people as paid assistant lifeguards • Conduct full programme evaluation and publish open-source blueprint (risk assessments, session plans, partnership model) End of Year: • Review infrastructure effectiveness and safety outcomes • Secure continuation and blended funding streams • Develop expansion plan to additional year groups and schools within a 30-minute radius
