YouthWorks UK is a growing network for community-rooted youth organisations who want to learn, reflect and grow together. We support charities and CICs through connection, shared learning and practical support, shaped by real experience of youth work.
YouthWorks UK was founded on a simple truth: youth organisations change lives. I know this because they changed mine. Growing up in a family affected by substance misuse, alcohol dependency, and domestic violence meant my childhood was full of instability. We moved from town to town, and every move left me more disconnected.
Youth clubs were the constant. They gave me safety, belonging, and adults who believed in me.
At 21, I founded The Boathouse Youth to recreate those life-changing experiences for young people growing up in difficult circumstances. Sixteen years later, that small start-up became a multi-million-pound charity supporting thousands across Blackpool and the Fylde Coast.
Now it’s time for the next chapter: supporting the kind of inspiring local leaders I once was.
Our vision is a country where every young person – no matter their postcode – has access to a high-quality and locally rooted youth organisation that enables them to lead their best life.
To build a national youth work infrastructure that strengthens locally led youth organisations to elevate the quality of their provision and ensure they have the long-term resources they need to thrive.
We believe the best youth work is shaped and owned by the communities it serves. We strengthen local identity - never replace it.
We work alongside leaders, not above them - building trust, sharing expertise and creating solutions together.
We do what’s right for young people, even when it’s harder. We act with honesty, transparency and accountability.
We aim high because young people deserve the very best - safe spaces, professional adults, meaningful opportunities and long-term support.
YouthWorks UK was created because I know first-hand how much a youth club can change a young person’s life. I grew up in a family affected by substance misuse, alcohol dependency and domestic violence. We moved constantly in an attempt to escape the chaos, and every move left me more disconnected and disengaged.
Youth organisations were the one place that gave me stability, safety and hope. They were where I found role models, confidence and direction. They shaped the adult – and leader – I eventually became.
Age 21, I founded The Boathouse Youth to give other young people the same opportunities that changed my life. What began in a small church hall has grown into a multi-million-pound charity supporting thousands across Blackpool and the Fylde Coast. But the journey wasn’t easy. Building a youth organisation from nothing is tough, lonely and relentless — I’ve lived every part of that struggle.
Now, after 16 years supporting young people who reflect the child I once was, I feel called to support the kind of local leaders I once was: passionate, determined and often carrying more than anyone realises.
That’s why YouthWorks UK exists.
We seek to strengthen locally led youth clubs by improving their spaces, raising the quality of their programmes, developing their workforce and helping secure the long-term resources they need. We walk alongside leaders, not above them – giving them the support, infrastructure and solidarity I desperately needed when I started.
When local passion meets national purpose, whole communities can change.
YouthWorks UK is here to make that happen.