MD2533 Team London Young Ambassadors 2020 - 2022

1.1. Team London Young Ambassadors (TLYA) is the Mayor’s school volunteering programme which connects young Londoners with their communities through social action. Since 2013, over 450,000 young people have improved their schools and communities by setting up projects on issues they really care about, such as the environment, gender equality, serious youth violence, mental health, and homelessness.

1.2. Social action is practical action in the service of others to create positive change. Youth social action has the potential to create positive outcomes for both the young people who take part and the communities they seek to support – a ‘double-benefit’ model. By engaging in community projects, young people also become more socially integrated and active citizens. Step Up To Serve is the coordinating charity behind the UK-wide #iwill campaign, which seeks to increase participation in social action by young. The #iwill Fund has previously match funded the “Young London Inspired” programme 2018-20, contributing £817k to the work of the GLA.

1.3. Step Up to Serve will close in 2020 due to the campaign being time-limited. In anticipation of this, Team London worked with the #iwill Fund (which is administered by the National Lottery Community Fund), on a solicited bid to bring in match funding to create a developed programme of youth-focused, school-based social activity across London. This will take lessons learned from existing school and youth facing programmes, such as Team London Young Ambassadors, and target provision more specifically at young people at risk of exclusion. We were successful in this bid for funding for a 2020-22 programme.



1.4. The aim of the new programme is to inspire more young people from diverse backgrounds to take part in social action – especially those at risk of exclusion - encouraging active participation in community and civic life, in turn leading to increased levels of social integration and community engagement. We will do this through:

• an enhanced programme targeting Pupil Referral Units (PRU), Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND) Schools and Alternative Provision (AP) Schools;

• a universal school-based social action programme; and

• a programme of teacher training and sector support to allow schools to embed youth social action into their practice.

1.5. Young people from low income backgrounds face practical and social barriers to participation in social action, leading to lower levels of participation. Schools are also impacted by reduced budgets and London boroughs have been experiencing greater teacher retention challenges than the rest of England. Our programme will deliver provision to support young people and also provision for teachers supporting young people from low-income backgrounds to overcome these barriers and increase the level of high-quality, inclusive social action opportunities. The closure of Step Up To Serve referred to above will also leave a gap in high-level leadership and championing of youth social action, which the GLA is well placed to fill through facilitating networks, sharing best practice and recognising quality provision.

1.6. There will be a Youth Advisory Board in order to engage young people effectively in the shape and delivery of the programme. Team London will also work closely with the Peer Outreach team and Education and Youth team to include young people in the bid assessment, scoring and moderation process. We will also involve our Young London Inspired Advisory Board which has external cross-sector membership, as appropriate.

Programme Streams

1.7. The proposed programme will see funding distributed amongst three complementary streams of activity to ensure that all young Londoners are given access to quality social action opportunities. These streams are structured to directly support:

• schools serving young people at risk of exclusion and who will therefore need a model of more intense provision; and,

• London schools who have previously engaged with Team London Young Ambassadors (2,200 schools across London); and

• teachers across London to increase the ability of awareness of what makes a quality youth social action project and to embed the provision of youth social action more firmly within schools to improve sustainability.

1.8. This three-pronged approach is necessary if we want to continue to see a sustained impact on youth social action, community engagement, and social integration amongst young people.

1.9. Stream One is an Enhanced Programme for schools serving those at risk of social exclusion, specifically PRUs and SEND schools, as these young people are less likely to have taken part in social action before and are more at risk of social exclusion and unemployment. This model will see a greater level of support and intervention for young people in these settings, with a hands-on supported series of workshops, seed funding for social action projects, and tailored support for their teachers. The total funding proposed for this stream is £505,000.

1.10. Stream Two is a Universal Offer open to all schools in London, but particularly targeting schools serving deprived and underserved areas of London, as defined by the GLA’s City Intelligence team using analysis of small geographies (Lower Layer Super Output Areas, LSOAs). The programme will enable us to maintain our existing network of schools and support them to embed youth social action into school life. This has been a core focus of our work since the programme started in 2014. This stream will see a focus on the successful elements of previous phases of the Team London Young Ambassador programme, such as school visits and workshops, small grants for young peoples’ projects, Team London Social Action Toolkit for Schools, and themed social action Youth Summits hosted at City Hall. This will be a lighter touch version than how we have previously operated, but we think this will work well, as the focus shifts to supporting young people who are at risk of exclusion and less likely to engage with social action. The total funding proposed for this stream is £178,000.

1.11. Stream Three is a programme of Teacher Training and Sector Support to increase the sustainable capacity of schools and third sector organisations to run youth social action programmes. This stream will see City Hall run training and workshops which amplify best practice and increase collaboration across the sector. This stream is anticipated to be facilitated for the most part by Team London, with the funding being used for specialist trainers and consultation. Due to this substantial level of Value in Kind (VIK) support, we are only setting aside a small amount for this specific workstream. The total funding proposed for this stream is £11,000.

Delivery partners

1.12. Competitive exercises will be completed for each stream of the proposed programme. This will result in up to three delivery partners being procured. Should one provider prove the most suitable, then they may cover more than one programme stream. This could also take the form of a subcontractor and/or consortium arrangement.

2.1. The headline objectives of the programme are as follows:

• more young people from more diverse backgrounds get involved in and lead volunteering and social action activity;

• more young people volunteer more regularly, and develop a habit of volunteering;

• improvements in community resilience, engagement and outcomes as a result of increased volunteering and social action focussed on Mayoral priorities;

• better awareness and communication of the benefits of volunteering and social action amongst young people, organisations, and communities;

• greater social mobility of participants as a result of their experiences of social action and related skill development;

• young people gain rewarding experiences related to their interests and ambitions (personal, volunteering, or career based);

• improved access to volunteering and social action by building organisations’ capacity to create appropriate and appealing opportunities;

• greater teacher engagement and capability to successfully embed youth social action in their schools; and

• build a cross sector network of collaborators from community, public, charity, cultural, academic organisations to share best practice and embed new youth focused approaches.

2.2. This multi-streamed volunteering and social action programme will aim to tackle the current barriers encountered by creating accessible routes to participation for young people in London. Barriers such as:

• lack of awareness of volunteering and social action, the opportunities available and their benefits;

• low levels of funding and resource for smaller scale social action projects;

• limited whole-school approaches to youth social action, especially in low-income communities;

• lack of social action provision for non-mainstream schools;

• a perceived lack of reward, recognition and incentive to carry out social action;

• limited opportunities to carry out volunteering and social action with youth ownership; and

• practical and physical barriers (transport, timing etc.) through flexible and accessible opportunities.

2.3. This programme will help us understand:

• the support requirements for engaging young people most at risk of exclusion through non-mainstream educational institutions;

• how to remove barriers to volunteering for young people who don’t currently participate in social action;

• the support required for teachers to effectively deliver and embed youth social action provision in their school; and

• the role of the GLA in building capacity in third sector organisations to improve the provision of local-focused youth social action opportunities.

Programme KPIs

3.1. Under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 (the “Equality Act”) as public authorities, the Mayor and the GLA must have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. Protected characteristics under the Equality Act comprise age, disability, gender re-assignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, and marriage or civil partnership status. Due to the nature of this proposed decision, no particular effects, positive or negative, are foreseen on persons with a protected characteristic under the Equality Act.

3.2. Equal Opportunities are enshrined within Team London’s programmes. Team London volunteering projects aim to ensure that all Londoners can access volunteering opportunities and indeed by doing so support other Londoners equally throughout the city.

3.3. Our projects particularly promote equal life chances; reducing barriers to social mobility, demonstrating improvements in social integration and effective community engagement. This programme will involve working with young people, under-represented and disconnected Londoners to connect them through volunteering with education, training, and other opportunities to enhance their life chances and improve social mobility and social integration.

3.4. Our work also embraces London’s diversity by connecting Londoners from a variety of demographic and geographical backgrounds together in support of common causes. In addition, we recognise volunteers from every area in London through our awards ceremony.

3.5. This project aims to work with disadvantaged young people and within that category we will be ensuring that access is provided to all young people regardless of age, gender, sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or pregnancy. Promotion, content and delivery of the project will ensure that it does not stereotype and provides an open access to individuals who are interested in joining the project and one which is of interest to them.

3.6. The project will provide flexibility to those who have specific needs such as a disability or special educational needs, through ensuring the content of delivery is adapted to meet different needs and where support equipment is required that this is made available to meet individual needs. Physical access to learning will be considered for those with disabilities and therefore arrangements will be made where this is required.

Key risks and issues

Links to Mayoral strategies and priorities

4.1. The Team London Young Ambassadors programme will contribute towards:

Increasing social cohesion and community engagement

Improving social integration also means supporting greater participation. We will launch initiatives which help tackle barriers and inequalities that can prevent social integration, create more shared experiences for Londoners and promote active citizenship among people from all backgrounds. (Inclusive London: The Mayor’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy)

4.2. This programme will support community engagement by:

• supporting young people to engage with their communities by becoming active citizens in their local area;

• enabling young people to feel greater self-efficacy within their communities;

• ensuring young people have the mechanisms and voice to affect change;

• supporting schools to increase their status as pillars of the community by generating more impact on their local areas;

• working with communities and civil society groups across London to encourage active participation in community and civic life from young Londoners; and

• supporting innovation in looking at ways to tackle barriers to participation in volunteering and social action and working with colleagues from the GLA’s Culture and Creative Industries, Communities and Social Policy and Education and Youth teams to ensure alignment between department activity on participation, identity and belonging.

Increasing social integration:

We must take action to build a stronger sense of unity within our cities. Greater social integration involves us creating an environment where more Londoners can make new connections, breaking down the barriers of social class and economic inequality and bringing those of different ages and backgrounds together in shared experiences. (All of Us: Strategy for Social Integration)

4.3. This programme will support social integration by:

• providing opportunities for young people to interact with young people from different backgrounds through social action activity;

• allow young people to feel greater engagement with their communities as a result of taking part in social action projects; and

• support more resilient communities via the impact of youth social action projects.

Increasing skills, inclusion and social mobility:

As a Mayor for all Londoners, I have a plan to ensure that everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, is able to share in and make the most of London’s prosperity, culture and economic development. Because I want to build a London where no community feels left behind and where everyone has the opportunities they need to fulfil their potential. (A City for All Londoners)

4.4. This programme will support inclusion and social mobility by:

• making sure social action provision is accessible to all, especially those from low-income backgrounds and at risk of exclusion;

• ensuring young people can use their experiences of social action to generate personal, character, and skill development; and

• therefore, making young people more likely to be employed because of experience of social action.

Impact assessments and consultations

4.5. We consult relevant groups and stakeholders when undertaking any new programmes e.g. we met with PRUs, both those inside and outside the existing programme, to assess need and effective programme design. We are also using a test and learn approach to this work so that we can adapt the programme as we go.

4.6. As part of Stream One we will be commissioning an external evaluation of the programme to be able to scrutinise outcomes and determine which programme elements are the most effective.

4.7. There is an established Advisory Board for Team London to ensure we have the voice of all relevant parties shaping the future of the programme to ensure it is relevant, efficient and delivering the best volunteering related outcomes for Londoners.

4.8. The #iwill and Step Up to Serve (SUTS) board will require monitoring and evaluation of impact and proactive working with the independent #iwill learning hub. There will be distinct programme strands to look at the individual outcomes and outputs and we are working with the Intelligence Team to develop a targeting and measurement framework for the programme.

4.9. Team London is part of the SUTS Education Steering Group and the Young London Inspired Matched Funders Steering Group.

4.10. There will be a Youth Advisory Board drawn from participants of the programme to allow young people to feedback into the programme and young people will be involved in the bid assessment and scoring process.

Conflicts of interest

4.11. There are no conflicts of interest to note for any officer involved in the drafting or clearance of this decision form.

5.1. Approval is being sought for

• receipt of £347,000 in external income from the #iwill funding from the National Lottery Community Fund; and

• expenditure of £694,000 on the Team London Young Ambassadors Programme.

5.2. The expenditure is profiled as: 2020-21 (£260k), 2021-22 (£260k), and 2022-23 (£174k).

5.3. The net cost to the GLA is £347,000 which will be funded by the Team London Young Ambassadors Programme, held within the Team London unit. The remaining £347,000 will be funded by the grant income from the #iwill National Lottery Community Fund set out in 5.1 above.

6.1. The foregoing sections of this report indicate that:

6.1.1 the decisions requested of the Mayor concern the exercise of the GLA’s general powers, falling within the statutory powers of the GLA to do such things as may be considered to further, and or be facilitative of or conducive or incidental to the furthering of, the promotion of social development in Greater London; and

6.1.2 in formulating the proposals in respect of which a decision is sough officers have complied with the GLA’s related statutory duties to:

(a) pay due regard to the principle that there should be equality for all people;

(b) consider how the proposals will promote the improvement of health of persons, health inequalities between persons and to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development in the United Kingdom; and

(c) consult with appropriate bodies.

6.2. In taking the decisions requested, the Mayor must have due regard to the Public Sector Equality Duty - namely the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010, and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between persons who share a relevant protected characteristic (race, disability, sex, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity and gender reassignment) and persons who do not (section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). To this end, the Mayor should have particular regard to section 3 (above) of this report.

6.3. Should the Mayor be minded to approve the recommendations in respect of which decisions are sought officers must ensure that:

6.3.1 they are content that the GLA can meet the conditions to which the provision of #iwill funding is subject, seeking legal and finance advice as necessary;

6.3.2 do not act in reliance of that funding until legally binding commitments are in place in concerning the provision of the same;

6.3.3 ensure any supplies and/or services required for the delivery of the programme are procured by Transport for London Procurement and officers should liaise with Transport for London Procurement in this regard and ensure that appropriate contract documentation is put in place with and executed by proposed service providers before the commencement of the required supplies and/or services;

6.3.4 to the extent that the GLA intends to award grant funding to third parties in respect of projects that align with the aims of the programme that funding agreements are put in place with and executed by the GLA and the recipients before making any commitment to the award of the same; and

6.3.5 the proposed arrangements do not fetter unreasonably the exercise of a successor administration’s discretion following the 2020 GLA elections, ensuring that contractual arrangements are severable at the discretion of the GLA, to the extent that they extend beyond the current Mayoral term.