The Roots of the Hope Collective And An Ongoing Movement For Change

Some 8 years ago, I was approached by Gary Trowsdale, then CEO of the Damilola Taylor Trust, in a personal capacity, to be an advisor and get involved with a new, independent, All-Party Parliamentary Commission on the root causes of youth violence. Little did I know that the impact of that first conversation would continue as we go into 2026 -27.

Chaired by Vicky Foxcroft MP and including fellow Members of Parliament Chukka Umana, James Cleverley, Mark Field, Greg Mulholland and Chris Stephens, the Commission sought to look at the issue of violence affecting young people through a public health lens – treating it as a societal issue rather than purely enforcement.

The Commission engaged young people, youth organisations, brands, policing and health professionals in a national programme of interviews, evidence committees, workshops and site visits driven by a team of advisors and a network of supporters, with a final report overseen by a team of two research professionals – criminologist Dr Keir Irwin Rogers from the Open University and Economics Professor Abhinay Muthoo from the University of Warwick.

The Rio Ferdinand Foundation was actively involved in the Commission from the outset, facilitating site visits and workshops in Manchester and Liverpool, engaging young people in research initiatives in the North West and in London, and submitting evidence from our own learning to the Commission.

The final report of the Commission was published in 2020 and can be found by clicking here.

As it transpired this piece of work had the most direct and immediate policy impact I have ever been involved in with the Government at the time announcing it was embracing a public health approach to the issue of violence and young people, shortly followed by the implementation of 21 Violence Reduction Units (VRU’s) in areas identified as most in need of support from intersectional issues – poverty, employment, health indicators, crime and violence. Despite funding threats, these VRUS are still in operation in 2026-27, delivering a range of supports to young people and communities most in need.

Following the closure of the Commission there remained a clear momentum for partnership and change, and from this initial time limited piece of work the Hope Collective was born – a collaboration of youth organisations, private sector companies, young people, housing associations and more who had been inspired by the work of the Commission and sought to work WITH young people to advocate for policy and system change within the UK.

I will leave it to others to chart the journey of the Hope Collective – but from my point of view the ongoing impact of the Collective can be seen at policy level within local communities, but from my own perspective key highlights have been the honouring of Damilola Taylors birthday (7th December) as a National Day of Hope in perpetuity by the then Prime Minister in 2021, young people from the Hope Collective having direct input into the Police Race Action Plan (2024-25) and most recently presenting directly to the Department for Culture Media and Sport to inform the government youth strategy in 2026.

And, of course, the 45 Hope Hacks (and counting) delivered to date.

I am delighted to have been asked to chair the new Strategic Management Board of the Hope Collective with an amazing set of colleagues from across the UK. This board will help drive the Collective forward as we continue to consult with young people, invest in their training and development and support them to make a real impact in their own communities.

The board will work closely with the Youth Management group to develop a youth-led ‘think-tank’ to inform policy and investment in young people at a local, regional and national level, and will continue to advocate for a better and more inclusive society at a time when poverty and division are rife.

The Rio Ferdinand Foundation will continue to act as the secretariat for the Hope Collective in 2026-27.

It's been a long journey with some great milestones along the way, but it feels like we are just getting started – and I am looking forward to being a part of taking this movement forward.