At the Young Foundation, we work to create a more equal and just society, where each individual can be fulfilled in their own terms. Inspired by Michael Young and his life-changing work pioneering new innovative projects and ideas, we work with communities across the UK and beyond to harness the power of social innovation to tackle inequality.
Our approach has been refined over six decades of innovation across sectors. It is founded on research, partnerships and social venturing. We use methods and tools developed through our long history of nurturing ground-breaking social innovations like the Institute of Community Studies, the Open University, The Consumers Association, the Economic and Social Research Council, the School of Social Entrepreneurs, Studio Schools and many others. Through ethnographic and participatory research, movement building, design and entrepreneurship we enable the creation and scaling of new interventions, movements and institutions that empower people to work together to address inequality and lead happier and more meaningful lives.
Our team of research, community development and innovation specialists work across the UK, from our original Bethnal Green office in the East End of London and our growing network of city and regional teams in Northern Ireland, Leeds, Wales and Montreal. In recent years, we have worked with over 200 unique funding partners including national governments in four continents, the world’s leading social givers and investors, public services of every kind and hundreds of social enterprises and entrepreneurs. As a result we have supported thousands of people across hundreds of communities to take their innovations to scale through world leading programmes like The Accelerator, Realising Ambition, TEPSIE, Better by Design, Community First, and The Young Academy. We are a registered charity and company limited by guarantee, governed by our experienced Board of Trustees.
Vision
We believe inequality undermines the economy and corrodes well-being, leaving its mark on communities, relationships, aspirations and self-worth. We believe little about the future of society is inevitable. Bound by our shared humanity, we believe we collectively have the power to tackle inequality and shape the societies and communities we want to live in by harnessing the power of social innovation. We believe our work over half a century demonstrates:
- Community asset based development fosters action
- Movements can shift cultures and mandate policy change
- Innovation points the way to a step change in impact
- Community leadership support of experimentation and new ideas, including through changes in funding, infrastructure arrangements, policy & regulation, leads to sustained change.
Mission
We are a research and action based institute with a formidable track record of confronting inequality. We work across the UK and internationally to create insight and innovations which put people at the heart of social change. We do this through research, work with communities and social innovation. We also bring together leading thinkers and policy makers around the world to develop new ideas to confront inequalities and create fairer societies.
Values
- We are bold, creative, and open minded.
- We always aim for excellence.
- We act with honesty, fairness and integrity.
- We believe the best things happen when people work together.
- We value difference and believe in inclusivity.
www.youngfoundation.org