A Message from Our Chair
Andy Evans
On behalf of Young K&C’s trustees, I’d like to welcome you to Young K&C’s 5th Anniversary Report.
Having grown up in Kensington and Chelsea and worked closely with local youth and community groups, it means a lot to me to chair this charity, supporting children and young people in our borough.
It’s been an honour to serve as Young K&C’s first chair of trustees and to see the organisation grow from the original proposal developed by John Lyon’s Charity, to the thriving organisation that is Young K&C today.
Back in 2020, we were aware that local voluntary organisations were working in isolation, struggling against a backdrop of cuts to the youth sector. Children and young people were facing cuts to services and support, while the community was experiencing the impact of the Grenfell Fire.
Young K&C was set up to raise and distribute more funding, bring voluntary organisations together and promote best practice in the sector.
These aims remain as important today as when we first started in 2020. Kensington and Chelsea has a dynamic and thriving voluntary sector providing year-round support for the most disadvantaged families.
We would like to thank Young K&C members for their incredible commitment and the amazing work that they do. And we would like to thank our incredible staff team for their dedication and hard work.
We are looking forward to working with our members, partners and with local young people to continue to develop Young K&C’s strategy and priorities for the next five years.
A Message from Our CEO
Nicola Butler
I am delighted to present Young K&C’s 5 Year Report.
Working as Young K&C’s first CEO, with Deputy CEO Niamh Graham and all of our wonderful staff team and Young Ambassadors, is a dream job.
I’d like to thank Young K&C’s board of trustees, who volunteer their time and expertise, for their wisdom, guidance and support during the last five years.
It’s been a joy for me to be able to use my skills and experience of running voluntary sector services for children and young people to support others in a similar position.
I am inspired by our members and their tireless work, serving and supporting local children, young people and families.
I’ve enjoyed learning more about local Supplementary Schools, after school and holiday programmes, youth clubs and community adventure play.
My highlights include securing funds for local voluntary organisations, bringing people together for training and networking, working with our fantastic Young Ambassadors and visiting members to learn more about their successes and the challenges.
In 2023, I was honoured to receive an MBE for my work supporting children’s play.
Seeing so many local voluntary organisations being able to develop their services and support for children and young people is for me, the most rewarding part of the job. I look forward to working with our members to help them to flourish and thrive in the years
to come.
A Message from Our Young Ambassadors
I am delighted to present Young K&C’s 5 Year Report.
Working as Young K&C’s first CEO, with Deputy CEO Niamh Graham and all of our wonderful staff team and Young Ambassadors, is a dream job.
I’d like to thank Young K&C’s board of trustees, who volunteer their time and expertise, for their wisdom, guidance and support during the last five years.
It’s been a joy for me to be able to use my skills and experience of running voluntary sector services for children and young people to support others in a similar position.
I am inspired by our members and their tireless work, serving and supporting local children, young people and families.
I’ve enjoyed learning more about local Supplementary Schools, after school and holiday programmes, youth clubs and community adventure play.
My highlights include securing funds for local voluntary organisations, bringing people together for training and networking, working with our fantastic Young Ambassadors and visiting members to learn more about their successes and the challenges.
In 2023, I was honoured to receive an MBE for my work supporting children’s play.
Seeing so many local voluntary organisations being able to develop their services and support for children and young people is for me, the most rewarding part of the job. I look forward to working with our members to help them to flourish and thrive in the years
to come.
£1m given in youth funding!
The Young Ambassadors programme has been personal. Being a Young Ambassador has helped us build confidence, ask tough questions, and work alongside community leaders. Some of us launched our own community projects, like a girls-only football programme, and were supported every step of the way – planning and safeguarding to delivery and advertising. That level of hands-on support empowered us to lead, not just participate.
Young K&C didn’t stop at panels and projects. They helped us prepare for the future. Through their network and belief in our potential, we accessed internships and professional opportunities we didn’t even know were out there. We gained skills, experience, and insight all of which we now proudly include on our CVs and university applications.
I am inspired by our members and their tireless work, serving and supporting local children, young people and families.
It proves that when young people are trusted as decision-makers, the outcomes are better and more just.
Young K&C values the knowledge we hold from our lived experience growing up in Kensington and Chelsea, and it creates space for us to lead change in the very communities that raised us.
Being a Young Ambassador isn’t just something we did. It’s shaped who we are and how we’ll continue to show up for others.
