Aim

We'll support 250 young women from minority communities to upskill towards employment and bridge education gaps; building futures

Rising Challenges across minority communities

It is well known that BAME  people face higher levels of inequality/exclusion and experience increased socio-economic disadvantage. 

It is a sad truth, that in the 21st century, discrimination and racial/religious inequality still presents a huge challenge for BAME people, which make up 40% of London’s population (Diversity UK)!  In a recent report by Partnership for Young London it was found that 45.2%  (just under half) of young Londoners experienced discrimination or inequality, highlighting a huge social issue that must be addressed in modern society. 

We operate within minority communities in North London, whose young women are excluded from the majority of local and national provisions. This translates into limited, accessible opportunities for the young women we support, which coupled with overcrowding, language barriers and pre-existing poverty & inequality, has resulted in historically high levels of deprivation and disadvantage.

Teen Action provides support to young women from minority communities, based in north Hackney and south Haringey, in areas that are ranked within the top 10% most deprived in England!!

In excess of 90% of Teen Action beneficiaries’ homes are in receipt of universal credits, highlighting the extent of poverty and deprivation within the community.  Young people constantly deal with challenges such as poverty, lack of opportunities, overcrowding, poor employment and exclusion amongst others. A Holman survey of this community showed high levels of deprivation, such as, “56% of respondents could not afford at least two items defined as ‘essential’” and “Half of all families cannot afford for their children to have a holiday.”

Our vision

Our vision is a world in which all young people have equal opportunities, regardless of their ethnicity, abilities, socio-economic circumstances, or individual needs; and ease of transition to adulthood, employment, and independent living.

What we do

To this end, Teen Action provides accessible youth provisions for young women aged 16-25 years from disadvantaged minority communities, providing positive, accessible opportunities and supporting them to upskill towards employment, so as to empower the future generations of minoritised women and reduce deprivation and inequality.

Daily, we provide a range of programs, courses and support in line with 4 key areas: 

-    Transitions (employment and independent living)

-    Education

-    Skills Development, and 

-    Recreation.  

All programs are accessible, conform to relevant quality standards and are designed by users to enhance engagement and productivity.

Programs include career support, an independent living program, a range of accredited IT programs, a variety of craft courses, education (GCSE) support groups, post-18 accredited study programs, bi-annual retreats, soft skills development programs, summer scheme and counseling amongst others.

Teen Action takes a holistic approach, supporting excluded and disadvantaged young women with their emotional, social, intellectual and cognitive abilities and upskilling them towards employment - easing historically high levels of poverty, inequality and social deprivation within minority communities. 

Our Track Record

We closely monitor each provision, and our delivery as a whole, using the Triple F approach, which measures outcomes and outputs effectively.

In the last year, we supported 321 young women, helped them achieve 104 qualifications, and enabled 99% of relevant participants to progress into further education or employment.

We've been awarded a Gold Level London Youth Quality Mark, a quality assurance scheme, accredited by City and Guilds in recognition of our commitment to excellence. This has improved the way our organisation runs, our monitoring, provision for young people, organisational structure, project delivery and assessment, and ensures all projects run under relevant quality standards. We've also been awarded the 2020 London Faith and Belief Community Award under the category of ‘supporting women’.

To date, we have supported close to 2,000 young women over 2 decades of operation!

Future plans

Teen Action’s core plan for the year ending January 2027 is to support over 200+  disadvantaged young women and 100+ young adults across North London through accessible educational, vocational and personal-development opportunities.

• Academic support, mentoring and independent-living education.
• Careers guidance, employability training and progression support.
• Creative arts, music, digital skills and community activities.
• Expanded adult-learning pathways through partnerships with mainstream providers.

How your donation will effect change

Our full operating budget for the current year (ending 31 January 2027) is £470,000 with just over half secured.

We are hoping to raise core funding to cover costs such as rent, a portion of annual staff/volunteer training, postage, printing, advertising and stationery costs so that we can continue delivering for young women.  

You can support young Londoners with your donation– every little matters!

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made