This term, Young H&F Grant Makers visited St John XXIII Catholic Primary School to see a project they’d funded come to life.

Written by Young H&F’s CEO Gareth Dixon, this blog post reflects on a week of visits to youth-focused events and programmes that highlighted the importance of creativity, confidence and self-expression.

Youth-led funding isn’t just about who makes decisions in the moment - it’s about what becomes possible over time. A full-circle moment from our Young Grant Makers programme shows why youth-led investment matters for the long term.

This week’s announcement of an £88 million government investment in youth provision is a welcome and timely recognition of what so many of us already know - young people need safe, engaging, and inspiring spaces, now more than ever.

Over the past few months, a group of building-based youth clubs in Hammersmith & Fulham have been coming together to discuss the challenges, opportunities and threats facing physical youth spaces. These conversations - held in person, in the spaces where youth work happens - have resulted in the formation of the Buildings for Young People Alliance.

Just over a month ago, the team at Young Hammersmith & Fulham (Young H&F) returned from Berlin, brains buzzing and notebooks overflowing.