Routes to Community Success

Cornwall, Norfolk and West Northamptonshire were the three local test-bed areas for the Routes to Community Success (RtCS) programme during 2023-25. The pioneering initiative designed to strengthen the youth sector by co-designing services with young people and building the capacity of grassroots providers. 

Alongside local delivery, a nationwide strand focused on digital youth work, delivered by the National Youth Agency (NYA)’s National Digital Innovation Lead, sought to engage young people to explore how digital tools and platforms could better support their needs. This included the Digital Directors project, which empowered young people to shape digital youth work in their communities. You can read more about the Digital Directors here. 

In 2023, the (NYA) was awarded funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to recruit the delivery partners and work with young people in their areas to co-design improvements to services and provide learning for the wider sector 

Each area received seed funding to support youth work development activities. Community Leads recruited 15 Youth Ambassadors per locality, who consulted with their peers to ensure local youth services reflected their needs and aspirations. At least eight organisations in each area developed plans for training and capacity building, shaped by young people themselves. 

Youth Ambassadors also received training, mentoring and peer support, enhancing their skills in community engagement, youth voice and participation. This included sessions with Loud Speak and the Advocacy Academy.   

Key Outcomes and Learnings 

Youth Employment:
The programme opened pathways into employment, education, and youth leadership, with several Ambassadors enrolling in youth work courses or securing roles in youth organisations. Youth Ambassadors also progressed teaching, journalism and digital roles.  

Flexibility:
Flexible delivery frameworks allowed partners to adapt to local contexts, such as rurality and transport infrastructure. This responsiveness enabled more inclusive and accessible youth engagement, including online participation and tailored training offers. 

Communities of Practice:
Quarterly Communities of Practice supported reflection, peer learning, and innovation. These sessions reduced isolation, built trust, and surfaced shared challenges across regions. Partners expressed a need for more regular, better-resourced collaboration, ideally co-facilitated by young people and subject matter experts. 

Youth Empowerment 

• 65 Youth Ambassadors engaged over 1,200 other young people in their communities to inform local need. 

• Almost all of the 27 Youth Ambassadors who completed the pre- and post-surveys reported increased confidence in public speaking. 

• Many progressed into youth work, teaching, journalism and digital roles. 

 Mental Health and Gaps in Support 

Insights from community engagement highlighted gaps in mental health support and the need for more accessible, youth-friendly services. Young people consistently emphasized the importance of mental health provision in local programmes, reinforcing its relevance for wider initiatives. 

Survey data showed: 

• Almost a third (29%) of young people reported suffering with anxiety, depression or other mental health issues—higher than national averages. 

• Almost a quarter (22%) wanted mental health support they were not currently receiving. 

• Almost a quarter (21%) wanted more support with careers and employment. 

• Digital interaction was very high (87% interact online daily), but uptake of digital youth work was low, revealing a service gap. 

These findings reinforce the need for mental health and employment support to be central in future youth programmes.