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
Leanne
Last Name
Lindsey
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
Enfield Borough Youth
Year that you started/ registered your organisation
2025
Initiative Title
Unlocking Enfield: Opening College Sports Facilities to the Community
My initiative is designed for and delivered in London
1
Website URL(s) or Social Media Handles
n/a
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?
Children & Youth
Initiative Summary: Describe your initiative in one sentence
Enfield Borough Youth will partner with Capital City College Group (Enfield campus) to unlock its existing sports and activity facilities, currently restricted to enrolled students or private hire, and use grant funding to deliver structured, supervised, and free sport and play programmes that remove financial and access barriers for young people across the borough, increasing participation, wellbeing, confidence, and positive community engagement.
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 Enfield, many young people face significant barriers to accessing safe, high-quality spaces for sport and physical activity, despite suitable facilities existing locally. At Capital City College Group (Enfield campus), there are sports halls and activity facilities that are currently available only to enrolled students or through private paid hire. This creates a structural access gap: high-quality facilities exist in the community, but they are not equitably accessible to the wider population of young people. The need is acute. Brimsdown ward has a population of over 16,000, with 24% aged under 16. Around 44% of households are claiming Universal Credit, and the area is among the 20% most deprived wards in England. Levels of child poverty are significantly higher than national averages. In this context, paid sports provision is out of reach for many families, and young people who are not enrolled at the college are excluded from accessing indoor sports facilities; particularly during evenings and weekends, when structured activity and safe spaces are most needed. Those who will benefit most are young people aged 11-25 living locally who are not enrolled at the college and who face financial or social barriers to participation. This includes young people from low-income households, those at risk of disengagement, and those underrepresented in organised sport. Enfield Borough Youth was established specifically to serve this community. Through our confirmed partnership with Capital City College Group, we are directly positioned to unlock these existing facilities and remove financial and access barriers, opening high-quality provision to young people across the borough.
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 tackles the structural barrier at the heart of the problem: access to high-quality facilities is restricted not because space does not exist, but because governance, cost, and institutional norms limit who those spaces are “for.” Enfield Borough Youth is working in formal partnership with Capital City College Group to unlock its sports hall and indoor activity facilities, currently accessible only to enrolled students or through private paid hire. These publicly funded assets sit within a high-need community yet are not freely available to local young people outside enrolment. Grant funding will cover agreed facility access costs, staffing, safeguarding, supervision, and delivery, enabling structured and free sport and physical activity during evenings and weekends. Delivery will take place within the college’s sports hall and activity spaces, opening consistent indoor provision to young people aged 11–25 across the borough, regardless of whether they attend the college. The college, as landowner, plays a central role. By agreeing structured community access arrangements with clear safeguarding protocols, it enables a shift from closed institutional use to inclusive community use. This changes the norm from “student-only facility” to “shared community asset” while maintaining safety and quality. Our “aha” moment came when we realised young people living nearby were excluded simply because they were not enrolled or could not afford hire fees. The issue was not demand but access rules. By building a structured model of shared use, we create a replicable pathway for other outer-London campuses facing similar inequities.
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 passive beneficiaries; they are active co-designers of how Capital City College Group sports facilities are opened and used for community benefit. We will establish a Youth Advisory Group of young people aged 11-25 from surrounding wards, including those not enrolled at the college. This group will shape how the college sports hall and indoor activity spaces operate during community access hours. They will co-design activity timetables, identify priority sports such as football, basketball and fitness training, advise on culturally appropriate delivery, and help define behaviour standards for use of the facilities. Young people will also take part in walkthrough assessments of the sports hall to identify barriers such as registration systems, signage, or perceptions of exclusivity, and propose practical solutions to ensure the space feels welcoming rather than institutional. Their input will directly influence entry processes, communication materials and safeguarding explanations. Beyond consultation, young people will hold structured roles including peer leaders and ambassadors who support outreach to local schools and youth networks. This builds confidence and responsibility while shifting perception from “college facility” to “community asset.” We will also engage families and local schools to ensure provision reflects real need. Regular feedback sessions and short impact surveys will shape scheduling and progression opportunities. By embedding young people in design and delivery, we are not only opening access to Capital City College Group facilities, but reshaping how those facilities connect to the surrounding community.
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 initiative will create measurable impact by unlocking the sports hall and indoor activity facilities at Capital City College Group for structured community use beyond enrolled students. In Year 1, we will activate evening and weekend access for at least 40 weeks, delivering two supervised sessions per week within the sports hall, equating to a minimum of 80 sessions annually. We anticipate engaging 120-150 unique young people aged 11-25, prioritising those from low-income households and those not enrolled at the college. Weekly attendance is projected at 25–35 participants, building consistent participation habits and regular physical activity. Outputs include 80+ supervised sessions in high-quality indoor facilities, 120-150 young people accessing provision previously unavailable to them, and structured safeguarding and attendance monitoring. Short-term outcomes include increased physical activity, improved confidence, stronger peer relationships, and greater sense of belonging within a safe environment. The deeper impact is structural. By establishing a formal community access model with Capital City College Group, we show that college-based sports facilities can operate as dual-use community assets. This shifts norms from restricted institutional use to managed, inclusive access. Over time we will increase off-peak facility utilisation, support young people into volunteering and coaching pathways, and develop a replicable framework for other London college campuses. Success will be measured through attendance data, demographic reach, surveys, and progression tracking, demonstrating both scale and depth of impact.
Innovation: What is different about your initiative compared to other solutions that are already out there? How is your approach original and innovative?
Capital City College Group (Enfield campus) already has a sports hall and indoor activity facilities, but these are restricted to enrolled students or private paid hire. This reflects a wider structural norm across London: educational sports infrastructure is treated as institutional property rather than a community asset. Our innovation is to establish a structured dual-use model that opens these facilities to the wider borough community without compromising safeguarding or operational integrity. Rather than building new infrastructure or delivering temporary provision, we are addressing the root barrier, access rules and cost structures that exclude non-enrolled young people. Working directly with the college’s leadership and estates teams, we are formalising supervised community access hours and a funded framework covering facility use, staffing, and safeguarding. This shifts the norm from “student-only space” to managed community access, demonstrating how publicly funded educational facilities can serve both students and local young people. While community sport programmes exist elsewhere, few reconfigure further education facilities for structured borough-wide youth access. In Enfield, where deprivation is high and affordable provision limited, this approach embeds an underused solution in a context that needs it most. The originality lies in transforming existing institutional infrastructure into accessible community provision through a trusted, replicable governance model, reimagining who existing space is for.
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 viable because it builds on a confirmed partnership with Capital City College Group and uses its existing sports hall and indoor activity facilities rather than requiring new infrastructure. Grant funding covers agreed access costs, staffing, safeguarding, and supervised evening and weekend delivery, making the model practical and cost-effective from the outset. Success is supported through formal access agreements with the college, clear safeguarding procedures, defined supervision ratios, and structured timetabling within the sports hall. Enfield Borough Youth trustees oversee governance, financial management, and risk. Attendance, demographic reach, and progression data will be tracked to evidence utilisation and impact. Sustainability is embedded by demonstrating increased off-peak use of Enfield campus facilities, strengthening the case for continued dual-use beyond initial funding. We will pursue blended income through sponsorship, small grants, and in-kind college support, while developing peer leadership roles to increase capacity without proportional cost growth. Scaling focuses on replicating the governance model rather than expanding complexity. Once proven at the Enfield campus, the access agreement, safeguarding framework, and delivery structure will form a template to engage additional Capital City College campuses or other further education providers across outer London. Our ambition is not just to open one sports hall, but to demonstrate that further education estates can operate as inclusive community assets, shifting how institutional sport infrastructure is accessed borough-wide.
Roles and Responsibilities: Describe how responsibilities are shared among your team or partners.
This initiative is delivered through a defined partnership between Enfield Borough Youth CIO and Capital City College Group (Enfield campus), with clear responsibilities assigned to ensure safe, structured, and accountable delivery. Capital City College Group acts as the facility partner and landowner. The college provides access to its sports hall and indoor activity facilities during agreed evening and weekend hours. The college’s estates and leadership teams confirm availability, ensure the facilities meet health and safety standards, and agree structured community-use arrangements. The college retains oversight of building compliance and safeguarding alignment with its site policies. Enfield Borough Youth is responsible for programme design, delivery, safeguarding implementation, staffing, participant recruitment, and monitoring. We provide qualified coaches and youth workers to supervise all activity within the sports hall and indoor activity spaces. We manage registration, risk assessments, DBS compliance, first aid cover, and behaviour standards to ensure the facilities are used safely and responsibly. The charity’s trustees provide governance oversight, financial management, and risk management. They ensure grant funding is allocated appropriately to cover facility access costs, staffing, safeguarding, and monitoring, and that reporting requirements are met. Young people also hold defined roles through a Youth Advisory Group and peer leadership opportunities. They co-design activity timetables, provide feedback on facility use, and support outreach to ensure the unlocked provision remains relevant and inclusive. This structure ensures that Capital City College Group contributes physical infrastructure and institutional support, while Enfield Borough Youth delivers structured, supervised, community-facing provision. Responsibilities are clearly delineated, creating operational clarity, safeguarding integrity, and long-term partnership sustainability.
Upcoming Milestones: Please provide an overview of the milestones that are required for your initiative to come to fruition/to grow.
The initiative will be delivered through a clear, phased set of milestones that focus on unlocking access to space, embedding youth-led delivery, and demonstrating measurable impact for young Londoners. Months 1-2: Formalising Access & Operational Readiness • Finalise structured community access agreement with Capital City College Group (Enfield campus) for use of the sports hall and indoor activity facilities during agreed evening and weekend hours. • Complete site-specific risk assessments, safeguarding alignment, supervision ratios, and registration systems. • Recruit Youth Advisory Group to co-design activity timetable and codes of conduct. Months 3-4: Launch & Initial Activation • Launch structured, supervised weekly sessions within the Enfield campus sports hall. • Begin borough-wide outreach to young people not enrolled at the college. • Establish attendance tracking, demographic monitoring, and baseline wellbeing measures. Months 5-8: Consolidation & Measurable Engagement • Deliver a minimum of 40 structured sessions within the sports hall and activity facilities. • Achieve engagement of 80-100 unique young people. • Introduce peer leadership roles and progression pathways (volunteering, coaching exposure, education signposting). • Conduct interim review with college leadership to assess facility utilisation and operational effectiveness. Months 9-12: Embedding & Growth Planning • Reach 120-150 young people accessing provision previously unavailable to them. • Produce utilisation and impact report demonstrating increased off-peak use of college facilities. • Formalise longer-term dual-use model with Capital City College Group. • Develop replication framework to explore extension to additional facilities or campuses. These milestones move from unlocking access, to demonstrating utilisation, to embedding a sustainable dual-use model. The initiative grows not only in participation numbers, but in institutional commitment to inclusive community access, creating a foundation for borough-wide scale.
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.
Participation in the 8-week capacity-building programme will require protected staff time and operational cover to ensure structured delivery continues within the sports hall and indoor activity facilities at Capital City College Group (Enfield campus) while senior staff attend programme sessions. As a small, newly registered CIO, we do not have surplus staffing capacity to absorb this internally. If support funding is available, we would require the following: 1. Project Lead Backfill (Strategic Oversight & College Liaison) • 1 day per week × 8 weeks • 7.5 hours per day = 60 hours • £28.40 per hour Total: £1,704.00 This reflects a realistic London rate for youth project coordination, safeguarding oversight, college liaison, reporting, and implementation planning while the Lead participates in the programme. 2. Delivery Cover – Qualified Youth Sport Coach • 2 sessions per week × 8 weeks = 16 sessions • 3 hours per session (delivery + setup + close-down) = 48 hours • £36.75 per hour Total: £1,764.00 This ensures continued supervised delivery within the Enfield campus sports hall. £36.75/hr reflects current London rates for experienced, DBS-checked coaches with safeguarding responsibilities. 3. Safeguarding / Duty Manager Cover (On-Site Supervision) • 1 safeguarding lead present per session • 16 sessions × 2.5 hours = 40 hours • £31.20 per hour Total: £1,248.00 Ensures safe operation of college facilities during community access hours. 4. Youth Co-Design Participation Costs • 10 young people × 4 structured engagement sessions • £15 travel + £10 subsistence per session Total: £1,000.00 Removes financial barriers to meaningful youth participation in shaping how Capital City College Group facilities are governed and used. 5. Monitoring & Evaluation Integration • 32 hours impact measurement and reporting • £34.60 per hour Total: £1,107.20 Covers data analysis, utilisation tracking of the sports hall, and preparation of evidence required for scaling. 6. Travel to Capacity Programme (2 staff) • 8 days × 2 staff × average TfL cost £12.40 Total: £198.40 7. Materials & Digital Access for Youth Engagement • Mobile data support, printing, workshop materials Total: £425.00 Total Support Funding Requested: £7,446.60 These costs are directly linked to ensuring that structured, supervised community access to Capital City College Group (Enfield campus) sports facilities continues uninterrupted while we participate in the programme. The investment enables both safe delivery and strategic development of a scalable dual-use access model for educational sports infrastructure.
