London Youth is a network of 400 community-based youth organizations in London that offers opportunities, a voice, and development support for young people. Its Ambition program has 90 years of experience working with 3,500 UK youth clubs and 350,000 young people. London Youth created the first and only quality mark for youth clubs to ensure clubs are safe, fun, and youth-led. The quality mark helps clubs gain funding, deliver better programs, and engage more young people and stakeholders. Looking ahead, London Youth plans to continue delivering quality programs, measuring outcomes, building partnerships and capacity, and advocating for youth.

1. Ambition – Delivering
Quality Outcomes
Kate Chester, Director of Operations &
Jim Minton, Director of Communications and
Progammes, London Youth

2. Ambition’s History
•90 years of experience
•Membership organisation
•3,500 youth clubs across the UK
•350,000 young people
•National programme of activities
•Quality assurance
•Capacity building

3. London Youth
•A network of 400 community based youth organisations
•Members in every London Borough
•We offer:
• Opportunities for young people – direct and through
clubs (sport, leadership, employability, volunteering /
social action)
• Voice for young people and youth work in London
• Development – of the capacity of London’s youth clubs
and services to support the needs of young people
Supporting clubs and services to improve the quality of what
they offer young people is at the heart of this

4. Quality matters to young people….
“We want to make sure that our “I need youth services to help
“Attending a good quality youth youth clubs provide the things that
me get ready for when the
service could be one of the things we young people need”
opportunities come.”
that gives me some of what I missed
out on.”
“Quality services for young people
like me have the potential to
“I’ve got some big choices ahead, change my life for the better.”
and I want the services available to
me to really help, guide and
support me.”

5. …. and to the wider community
“My time is valuable. As a volunteer, I “I need to be confident there is a
want to know that it's for something place where my children can go
with warm, welcoming people” “I want the lives of students to
worthwhile, and where young people will
be as enriched outside of
really benefit.”
school as inside.”
“Public money needs to go “So young people are not
towards services that meet bored, and hanging around
young people’s needs, at a being anti-social!”
consistently high standard”

6. Ambition/London Youth
Quality Mark
•First & only quality mark for Youth Clubs
•Safe, fun and youth-led
•Suitable for any type of club
•Resources & training available
•Raising standards
•Improving confidence

7. How does quality mark make a difference?
• Funding: Some trust funders now will support clubs through the
quality mark process, and only fund quality marked clubs
• Programme delivery: Youth clubs who are quality marked are
more likely to engage with other funded and structured
programmes for young people
• Sustainability: a guarantee for funders and stakeholders
• Leadership and management: clubs better manage staff
including volunteers
• Young people’s engagement: young people trust and engage
with services that they have a say over, and believe meet their
needs
• Wider stakeholders: better relationships with police, schools and
other partners

8. Delivering Quality
•National programme of activities
•Commissioning
•DfE and Big Lottery
•Measuring outcomes – Views
•Payment on delivery
•Demonstrating impact

9. Skills for Adolescence
• U.S Personal & social development programme
•Replication of best practice
•72 countries
•12 million young people
•11 counties in UK over 5 years
•London Youth already delivering
•Training & curriculum
•Good fit for Local Authorities

10. Future plans
•Partnerships
•Measuring impact
•Trading activities
•Capacity building
•Advocacy

11. Thank you
Questions?