HOPE HACK

Amplify youth voice by creating meaningful opportunities for young people to be heard, shape solutions and influence local decision-making.

YouthBuild Ventures UK, The Hope Collective, and partners are bringing a dedicated Employability & Skills Hope Hack to Thamesmead this November.

WHAT IS A HOPE HACK?

A Hope Hack is a one-day youth-led event where young people come together in facilitated workshops to explore real challenges and develop practical ideas and solutions. The environment is designed to feel energetic, welcoming, and genuinely youth-friendly, combining live performers, inspirational speakers, group activities, and direct engagement with decision-makers.

The morning focuses on exploring barriers and challenges, while the afternoon shifts toward solutions. This includes what needs to change, what support is needed, and what a better future could look like. The day closes with young people presenting their ideas directly to a panel of senior stakeholders, creating space for honest dialogue and real commitment to action.

WHY AN EMPLOYABILITY & SKILLS HOPE HACK

Right now, almost one million young people across the UK are not in education, employment, or training. That's around 1 million of all 16–24 year olds and without meaningful action, that number is only expected to grow.

But here's the thing. While politicians, organisations, and employers are busy debating the statistics, the young people at the centre of it all are rarely in the room. They're never asked about the barriers they face, what support would actually help, or what they'd like their future to actually look like.

That's the gap the Thamesmead Employability & Skills Hope Hack is designed to fill.

Many young people in Thamesmead and beyond are navigating some real socio-economic challenges, including a lack of confidence, limited connections to employers, uncertainty about what's out there, and pathways that don't always feel built with them in mind. At the same time, we know employers and organisations genuinely want to do better, they just don't always know how or where to begin.

This event brings all sides together, It's a space where young people can speak honestly about their experiences, connect with stakeholders, and contribute ideas that could shape real opportunities not just for themselves, but for the young people that come after them.

And just as importantly, it's designed to feel good, energetic, hopeful, and full of possibility. Because at a time when so much of the conversation around young people focuses on what's going wrong, this is a chance to focus on what could go right.

WHY THAMESMEAD..?

Thamesmead is an area full of potential, creativity, and talented young people. It's also a place in the middle of significant change, with major regeneration and investment helping reshape the area, and creating new opportunities for growth, employment, and community development.

Too often, conversations about regeneration focus on buildings and…