Co-Creating Meaningful Change with Care Leavers

Young people with lived experience leading the change they deserve

In East London, thousands of young people leave care every year — and too many of them face the future without the support, voice or opportunity others take for granted.

At Foundation for Future London, we believe that change isn’t done to care-experienced young people — it’s built with them. That’s why our “Co-Creating Meaningful Change with Care Leavers” programme exists: to put care-experienced young people at the heart of decisions that shape their lives—and our city.

What we’re doing

In June 2025, we launched this programme with a powerful event at Toynbee Hall, led by our Co-Chair Baroness Lola Young. Since then, together with young people, partners and service-providers, we are working on:

Care-experienced young people taking the lead: defining issues, shaping solutions and building strong peer networks.
Investing in skills, confidence and leadership so that care-experienced young people don’t just enter opportunity — they steer it.
Supporting peer advocates and emerging community leaders from East London to create the change they want to see.
Running a national campaign for a “standard of care” bag — a symbol and guarantee that every young person leaving care is valued, prepared and connected.
Promoting safe, inclusive spaces for open discussion and leadership — so that voices often unheard become central.

Why this matters

Cuts to youth services and under-resourcing mean care-experienced young people often have to fight not just for opportunity—but for a sense of belonging.
As our CEO, Sarah Nelson, puts it:

“Meaningful change begins when we give young people the power to lead, not just be heard. Their voices aren’t the future — they’re the present.”

By backing young people with lived experience, we’re transforming how change happens in East London. Not just in policy, but in community, culture and opportunity.

Join the journey

We’re calling on organisations, funders and supporters to join this movement:

Open doors to mentoring, employment and pathways for care-experienced young people.
Collaborate with us to design programmes with care leavers—not just for them.
Share your networks, platforms and influence so that change becomes shared and lasting.