The unique partnership will see the Youth Endowment Fund, the #iwill Fund (a joint investment between The National Lottery Community Fund and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) and the Co-op  come together with the shared objective of creating a fairer world for young people, so that every young person can live a life free from violence.

All too often, young people who experience violence aren’t heard. But change won’t happen if young people aren’t at the heart of it. That’s why we’ve come together to give young people the chance to take the lead, so that they’re shaping the solutions they want to see in their communities.

Together, we’ll invest £5.1 million to build a ground-breaking network of peer researchers, who’ll find out about young people’s experiences.  We’ll work together to support them to take what they learn and turn it into action. From campaigning to improve local mental health services, setting up a youth centre or supporting young people into employment – we’ll create opportunities for young people to make their community a safer, fairer place.

What happens next?

If you work for a local youth organisation – and think your organisation could help us recruit and support young people – we’d be interested in hearing from you. Find out more about by reading our request for proposals.

Who are the partners?

The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) is a charity with a mission that matters. We exist to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence. We do this by finding out what works and building a movement to put this knowledge into practice.

The #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to £50 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to support young people to access high quality social action opportunities.

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.