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Youth Options Impact Report 2025

Youth Options is a Hampshire-based charity founded in 1937, delivering community youth work, targeted support and outdoor learning across Eastleigh, Southampton, Winchester and the New Forest. In 2024/25 it supported 10,078 children and young people across 71,307 attendances. Key outcomes include 87% of families in its Families Together programme reporting reduced violent incidents, anti-social behaviour in Millbrook Southampton reduced to zero requiring dispersal orders, and pupils attending weekly outdoor learning sessions achieving 7.5% absence rates compared to 16.3% for comparable peers. The charity's place-based partnership model and trauma-informed approach were independently evaluated as generating significant social value.

Report snapshot
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About

Open access street and centre-based youth work across Eastleigh, Southampton, New Forest and Winchester; one-to-one and small group targeted key work; Families Together Non-Violent Resistance programme for families; outdoor nature-based learning at three centres (Bishopstoke, Itchen Valley, New Forest); Steps to Independence programme for children in care and care leavers; Voices Unite advocacy for care leavers; Better Futures hospitality employability programme; Youth Ambassadors leadership programme; LASER Level qualifications; physical activity programme Custom geography from upload: Hampshire and Southampton, UK (Eastleigh, Southampton, New Forest, Winchester)

Key Metrics

Key Metric 1 10,078 children and young people supported across all services; 71,307 total attendances across 6,877 sessions
Key Metric 2 100% of young people surveyed said Youth Options staff were helpful and supportive; 93.7% felt safer knowing Youth Options staff were in their area
Key Metric 3 87% of families on the Families Together programme reported a reduction in violent or challenging incidents per week; anti-social behaviour in Millbrook Southampton reduced from 48 incidents in 2021 to zero requiring dispersal orders in 2024

Key Outcomes

  • 59% of 12-week outdoor learning Individual Development Plan goals fully achieved vs 33% at 6 weeks — demonstrating the value of sustained trusted relationships
  • 100% of Families Together programme families using skills learned six months after completing the programme; net promoter score of 95/100
  • All 10 young people in the Better Futures hospitality programme achieved Level 1 Award in Progression and Level 2 Food Hygiene; 5 secured further work, 2 are volunteering in catering

Geography

Other

Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
440,000+ young people aged 4-18 active members across 7,000 Groups
Key Metric 2
140,000 volunteers supporting the movement across the UK
Key Metric 3
373 Sections opened or re-energised in England between April 2024 and March 2025
0.3% overall growth in young people (ages 4-18), driven by 31% increase in Squirrel Scouts (5,200 young people)
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
55,000 foster carers and 370 fostering service providers as members across the UK
Key Metric 2
45 new Fostering Friendly Employers recruited, bringing the scheme to over 680,000 employees across the UK
Key Metric 3
95 Fostering Wellbeing Pioneers in Wales offering peer support and mentoring to fellow foster carers
191 children and young people engaged in outdoor adventure weeks through the Fostering Attainment and Achievement programme in Northern Ireland
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
91,000 young people supported across 24 countries in 2024/25, including 67,368 in the UK
Key Metric 2
Over 70% of the 25,500 young people who completed Employment and Enterprise programmes achieved a positive outcome
Key Metric 3
Education programmes engaged 63,000 young people (69% of the total), the largest share of delivery
In the UK, 71% of Employment and Enterprise completers achieved a positive outcome, including 39% into employment or self-employment
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
851 students supported through the In2STEM programme in 2024, from 2,036 applications
Key Metric 2
27,447 hours of in-person STEM placement experience provided to participants
Key Metric 3
94% of participants know what it means to work in STEM after the programme, up from 69% beforehand
97% of alumni who applied to university were successfully offered a place, based on UCAS data from 1,760 alumni