About Us

The Key empowers young people across the North East - particularly those growing up in poverty or navigating challenging circumstances.

Our vision is for a North East where every young person can shape their own path and unlock unlimited futures for themselves.

What we stand for

All young people should have the opportunity to break free from social barriers and improve their futures.

We believe young people should be:

Empowered to use their voice and be heard
Trusted to lead and deliver projects meaningful to them
Supported to build the skills and confidence they need to thrive
Inspired to be active in their communities by exploring enterprise or tackling social issues

Our beliefs are supported by our core values of:

Collaboration: We achieve more together than by acting alone.
Focus: We keep sight of the goal to achieve our mission.
Growth: We constantly strive to be the best that we can be.

Everything we do is for the benefit of young people.

Looking back

The Key began life back in the late 70’s when a determined group of North East young people, youth workers and academics developed a model to engage and support young people to build skills. Over time, the model evolved into a programme to provide young people with an opportunity that empowers them to have voice and agency as they choose and lead their own activities. As an organisation, The Key has cleverly evolved and adapted over the years to the ever-changing environment for charities and young people.

Moving Forward

Today, almost one hundred youth, community and education organisations utilise KEY+. What’s more, we’re continually finding ways to maximise its impact on young people.

We are looking forward to a bright future with ambitions to reach even more young people most in need. Our strategy looks ahead to 2028 and sets out our future focus and strategic priorities as we look to empower more young people with meaningful and impactful opportunities to build skills, confidence and resilience.

Strategy 2025 28 Final