The event brought together senior leaders from across government, the charity sector and the private sector alongside opinion-formers including Sir Gareth Southgate and Benedict Cumberbatch, as well as inspirational young people.
The young people shared their own stories of how access to support can be life-changing for those facing isolation, personal challenges, and insecure or no employment.
The Serious Change Funders Partnership, a partnership between the Youth Endowment Fund, Sport England, Children in Need and the National Lottery Community fund was launched at last year’s Summit, with this year’s event reflecting upon the progress that has been made since then.
StreetGames CEO Mark Lawrie OBE joined Sport England CEO Simon Hayes in a roundtable discussion about the progress being made in using sport to tackle issues around knife crime and supporting vulnerable young people to find a positive path.
Mark shared the work that StreetGames has led with Sport England around the national connection between sport and criminal justice, including some of the great examples of local collaborative working between the two sectors in Greater Manchester, Cheshire, the West Midlands and the Thames Valley.
The event also saw the launch a new initiative from The King’s Trust, backed by £10m of government funding, which will support young people to build the confidence, skills and experience they need to get ready for work by providing a nationwide network of resources including mentors, coaches and courses.