The Minister for Sport has backed a new three-year national volunteering and fitness programme from the social action charity GoodGym to help young people address some of the “increasingly complex and ever-changing issues” they are facing.
The new programme, which will launch in 2026, has been designed to create opportunities for young people to connect with each other and their communities. It will support 25,000 young people, train 200 young leaders and provide 3,000 opportunities for social action.
Building on GoodGym’s work in over 60 cities and boroughs around the UK, it will enable young people to connect, lead and contribute to projects and causes they care about in a way that is social and fun. The programme also aims to make a significant contribution to reducing loneliness and increasing connection.
BELONGING
It is built on findings from the The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) showing that GoodGym's work is particularly impactful for young people, as well as conversations with young people from across the UK.
The evidence shows that through GoodGym sessions, young people feel more connected, supported, and part of something bigger. They build friendships, confidence and a sense of belonging while making a tangible difference where they live.
Stephanie Peacock MP, Minister for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth, announced the new project at the House of Lords this week along with Baroness Beeban Kidron and Kim Leadbeater MP.
Baroness Kidron, an advocate for children’s rights, said the programme “invites young people to act together, it gives them real-world experience running, volunteering, helping, leading. It builds on the exceptional work that GoodGym has already done that has been proven to bring people together and build connections."
COMPASSION
Stephanie Peacock MP described a world in which young people spending most of the their time online. She welcomed the new programme and said: “Young people are facing increasingly complex and ever-changing issues… three quarters spend most of their time on screens, and one in 10 report feeling lonely always or often.”
GoodGym’s founder Ivo Gormley OBE spoke about the need for a programme of volunteering that is fun and flexible, and designed for young people specifically. He invited collaboration from brands, delivery organisations and foundations to help realise the ambition of the work.
Kim Leadbeater MP focused on the importance of opportunities to bring people together now more than ever. She commented: “This movement for change is part of a bigger and a really important movement for change across the whole country, which puts connection and compassion at the heart of it.”
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