Through the Peer Action Collective (PAC) young people are working to make their communities safer, fairer places to live.

Funded by the Youth Endowment Fund, the #iwill Fund (a joint investment between The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) and the Co-op, the PAC is here to support young people to take the lead.

PAC is a ground-breaking network of Peer Researchers, Social Action Leads and Changemakers. Young people with lived experience of violence find out what needs to happen to make their area a better place to live and turn these insights into action. From influencing school practises, to improving local mental health services, co-producing violence reduction strategies or supporting more young people into employment – together, they are ensuring that young voices respond to issues that directly affect them.

On 20 March 2023, a further £7.5 million investment into PAC was announced to continue to support young people to make communities safer and fairer.

Over the next five years PAC will impact the lives of over 11,000 young people in England and Wales through peer research and social action. By 2028 Co-op, the Youth Endowment Fund and the #iwill Fund will have invested £12.7 million into the PAC, creating long term and sustainable social action to help young people access opportunities and live a life free from violence.

You can read about PAC’s insights and recommendations in their research report: ‘Leading research, driving change‘.

Peer Action Collective in Action

Local Partners

The PAC is working across England and Wales. In each region, we’ve partnered with a lead organisation (who’ll often work with a bigger consortium of local youth services) to recruit and support the young people who are leading the PAC. These partners include:

• Youth Focus North East in the North East
• The EFL Trust in Yorkshire and the Humber, and the South West
• Lancashire BME Network in the North West
• Media Academy Cymru in Wales
• Bringing Hope in the East and West Midlands
• The McPin Foundation and The Peace Alliance in London, the South East and East of England

Central Partners

Along with local partners, the overall delivery of PAC is supported by the following central partners.

The Young Foundation

The Young Foundation are our national partner providing training and support on peer research and social action throughout the programme.

Renaisi

Renaisi will design, lead and implement the evaluation of PAC, as well as programme monitoring.

PAC Funding Partners

The #iwill Fund 

The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to £66 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities.

The Co-op 

The Co-op is one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives, owned by millions of members. We’re a recognised leader for our social goals and community-led programmes. We exist to meet members’ needs and stand up for the things they believe in.

Find out more by visiting the PAC website.