In response to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s announcement of a £88m funding package for youth clubs and after-school activities, the Jack Petchey Foundation highlights the positive impact that funding youth organisations and extracurricular programmes can have on the community.

The Jack Petchey Foundation was set up by Sir Jack Petchey CBE to inspire and celebrate young people. Since 1999, the Foundation has invested over £180 million has been invested in programmes to benefit young people aged 11-25 across London and Essex. The Foundation’s mission is to provide opportunities for young people across London and Essex to build their skills, their confidence and their voice so they can fulfil their potential and have a positive impact on society.

The government’s package aims to give young people access to sport, outdoor activities, art, music, debating, and volunteering, echoing the very work of the Jack Petchey Foundation.

Gemma Juma, Jack Petchey Foundation’s CEO welcomed the government’s announcement of funding and said: “Youth clubs and extra-curricular activities are vital for young people’s well-being. Sir Jack believed that society benefits when young people are valued. The Foundation’s mission is to provide opportunities for young people to build their skills, their confidence and their voice by investing in schools and youth organisations.”

Achievement Award winner from Kaizen Ryu Karate

Achievement Award winner from Makin’ Steps Performing Arts

Through their grants and partnerships, the Jack Petchey Foundation delivers tailored and subsidised programmes across oracy/communication, sport, outdoor activities, dance, music and singing, and volunteering, all of which empower young people to build lifelong skills and realise their potential. These programmes are delivered to mainstream schools, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities School (SEND), Pupil Referral Unites (PRUs) and youth organisations across London and Essex.

The Jack Petchey Foundation’s most recent Impact Report revealed that, through taking part in their partnership programmes, young people’s confidence increased by 75%, and 72% of young people felt more valued or recognised. A further 77% stated that the programmes helped developed their skills. These results demonstrate the positive impact the planned funding can have.

Sport and outdoor activities are delivered in partnership with Essex Boys and Girls Clubs, London Youth, Panathlon, UK Wallball and Table Tennis England. Dance, music and singing skills are developed through programmes s such as the Jack Petchey Glee Club Challenge and Step into Dance. The Jack Petchey Glee Club Challenge gives young people the chance to train with West End professionals, with 89% of those taking part last year saying they felt their self-confidence or self-belief had improved.

In partnership with the Royal Academy of Dance, Step into Dance is one of the largest inclusive dance programmes in the UK, where young people benefit from opportunities to get involved in a wider programme of workshops and performances.

Alexander Campbell, Artistic Director of the Royal Academy of Dance said: “On behalf of the Royal Academy of Dance, we welcome the government’s investment in youth services and programmes, particularly as dance has such a positive impact on the lives of young people. Our Step into Dance programme, that is made possible by the Jack Petchey Foundation, sees over 76% of students reporting that taking part in the programme has a positive impact on their mental health. What’s more, 85% of Step into Dance participants say they feel more confident after taking part in the programme. More funding will mean that there are more opportunities for young people’s lives to be transformed by dance.”

Step Around Town at RAD HQ. Photography: Marble and Sky

Jack Petchey’s Speak Out Challenge, delivered in partnership with Speakers Trust, is the largest public speaking competition for young people and trains over 35,000 young people in London and Essex each year key oracy skills. Speaking in 2023, Keir Starmer said of oracy skills, “It’s not just a skill for learning, it’s also a skill for life. Not just for the workplace, also for working out who you are – for overcoming shyness or disaffection, anxiety or doubt – or even just for opening up more to our friends and family.”

Jack Petchey’s Speak Out Challenge! Grand Final 2025 Champion: Adam Ravat, St Ignatius College, Enfield.

Additionally, the Jack Petchey Foundation works with First Give to deliver a 12-week social action programme, Talk The Talk and Young Enterprise to deliver career and employability programmes, WizeUp to deliver financial education, and Science Made Simple and The Maths Zone for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programmes.

According to the prime minister, there was a “worrying trend” of young people finding themselves “isolated at home and disconnected from their communities”.

Programmes such as the Respect Project delivered in partnership with Essex Boys and Girls Clubs allow young people to feel less isolated and disconnected. Speaking about their experience of a residential trip, a young person said, “It helped me stay off my phone, stay active and be sociable while doing fun activities with my friends.”

Essex Boys and Girls Clubs Residential Trip

According to a recent Guardian article, the number of youth centres run by local authorities in England almost halved between 2012 and 2023, with council spending on youth work decreasing by 75% and the number of youth workers falling by about 4,500.

The Jack Petchey Foundation supports circa 1,500 schools, youth clubs and youth organisations through the flagship programme the Achievement Award Scheme. The scheme celebrates young people for their achievements, including those involved in Scouts, Guides, and Volunteer Police Cadets, groups specifically being targeted by the Government.

Scout Achievement Award winner

With 95% of those running the Achievement Award reporting that the scheme encourages young people to make a positive contribution to society, the promised investment in young people is a giant step towards building a brighter future for our communities.

Click here to read the Jack Petchey Impact Report 2025 here.

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