ACN London reaches young people across all 32 boroughs to deliver the ACN vision.
London Active Communities formed, in 2006, following a collaboration between several small groups and project workers. Our goal was to decide on a strategy for scaling projects, and to seek new ways to improve outcomes for young people stigmatised as troublesome.
Our four-part remit was to:
By 2009, we had established projects outside of London and rebranded ourselves as Active Communities Network.
From the very beginning, we have worked in Southwark and Lambeth; but through our network of partners, we now reach young people across all 32 boroughs. Our partners’ local knowledge enables us to target training and development to meet local needs.
Our team continues to directly deliver sports and arts activities in Southwark, Lambeth and Lewisham, while our partners deliver projects in Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney, Haringey, Enfield, Brent, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Croydon and Bromley.
Since April 2021, the London Violence Reduction Unit’s place based MyEnds programme has been providing support and funding for communities to lead and deliver interventions across eight neighbourhoods affected by high and sustained levels of violence across London. Active Communities Network lead on the Southwark partnership, working with a system of youth and community partners to deliver the work.
Low-income communities across London have been historically isolated from institutions such as museums and theatres, because of how the arts sector presents itself.
We are working to close this gap by exploring better ways to connect unreached communities from culturally diverse backgrounds with the art world at their doorsteps.
To help dismantle stigmatisation, we support young people to complete a volunteering programme focused on connecting sport and art and exploring how these are inextricably linked. As part of this work, young people are creating volunteering roles using arts methods to benefit their peers and others in the community.
Positive Futures is funded through Southwark Council and ensures young people have an opportunity to participate in peer group activities and build trusted relationships. The programme harness skills of young people not fulfilled by formal education and provides safe places for them to come together, be supported and have fun. We use sport, media and arts to engage young people across 3 key localities, Borough, Elephant and Castle and Walworth.
The UPCHANGE Women and Girls’ Network is a dynamic London-wide initiative, made of women-led grassroots organisations, committed to overcoming the gender imbalance in the youth sector. This network is represented by a collective of women who are leading grass-roots organisations whilst retaining roles as practitioners.
Ambition Southwark is a multi-systems VRU response service trailed via the NHS South East London Clinical Commissioning Group. Locally led and delivered by Active Communities Network, to proactively engage & support young people, exhibiting high thresholds of risk factors, to enact effective methods of early prevention, intervention and one-to-one work, with youth members, their families and the wider community connections.
Supporting Southwark Residents on their civic leadership journey, equipping them with the skills, confidence and insight needed to step into civic roles in the Borough.
A radical new approach to funding communities in Southwark, devolving grant-making to a hyper local level, and equipping local residents with small scale funds to respond to an issue or need they see in Southwark.
Delivering prevention and early intervention support that improves wellbeing, strengthens life opportunities and helps prevent youth violence.
Sport England funded programme offering mentoring and capacity-building to experienced practitioners across London.
As part of the Mayor of London’s New Deal for Young People initiative, we have been funded to upscale our work with women and girls. The Girlhood Active programme, funded by Propel London, has been designed by women and girls following extensive consultation.
The project will train, support and scale the community of women-led organisations that currently support young women and girls across London. We are delivering the programme across 11 boroughs, supporting trusted women from the community as they mentor 550 young women and girls.
We are also building a new forum and policy advisory group from this community of women leaders to amplify their voice, create solutions to systemic challenges and inform the debate about ‘what works’ and how to address imbalance of investment in women and girls work.
ACN London offer a range of workshops, short courses and qualifications for the youth and community development/sport workforce and young people themselves. We build a tailor-made learning journey for each group or individual.
As well as directly delivering or commissioning courses, we have a pool of expert practitioners and trainers in our network whom we match with each group or individual to ensure their needs will be met.
We target our offer to three distinct groups:
– Young People who are looking to volunteer in the youth, sports or community sectors
– Workers and volunteers who have had no previous investment in their skills
– Professionals already working in the youth, sports and community sectors who require additional skills training