Sunderland Youth Action Unlocked brought together young people from across the city to turn ideas into action and create meaningful change in their communities.
Delivered by The Key, with support from Sunderland City Council’s Carbon Team and in partnership with Sunderland Altogether Consortium, the programme empowered young people to explore the issues that mattered most to them and develop projects focused on creating greener, cleaner, healthier and more connected communities.
What began as a day of collaboration and creativity grew into three inspiring youth-led projects across Hendon, Southwick and Washington, demonstrating the power of young people to lead change in their local areas.
This page brings together the full Sunderland Youth Action Unlocked journey – from The Hack, where ideas were first developed, through to the project delivery and the final celebration event where young people reflected on everything they had achieved.
The Hack: Where it all began
Sunderland Youth Action Unlocked began with The Hack – a creative, collaborative space where young people came together to explore ideas, identify local issues and develop solutions.
Working alongside one another, young people discussed what mattered most in their communities and selected themes linked to creating greener, cleaner, healthier and more connected communities.
The Hack laid the foundations for everything that followed, giving young people ownership of their ideas from the very beginning and providing the opportunity to shape projects that would make a real difference.
This video explores the Sunderland Youth Action Unlocked Hack in more detail, showcasing the ideas, discussions and decision-making that led to the projects.
Three Groups. Three Projects. One Powerful Movement.
Following The Hack, three groups from across Sunderland received funding and support to bring their ideas to life.
Each project responded to a different community need whilst sharing the same goal: creating positive change for people and places across Sunderland.
Click on the images below to explore each of the projects in more detail:
Or watch this video and learn about the projects and the impact the groups made:
The Celebration
To mark the end of the programme, all three groups came together once again for the Sunderland Youth Action Unlocked Celebration.
The event provided an opportunity for young people to showcase their projects, reflect on their experiences and celebrate everything they had achieved throughout the programme.
Young people shared what they learned, the challenges they had overcome and the impact they believed their projects had made within their communities. The celebration highlighted not only the projects themselves, but also the confidence, teamwork, leadership and resilience developed throughout the journey.
The event served as a reminder that when young people are given the opportunity to lead, they can create meaningful change.
Get Involved:
To find out more about Youth Action Unlocked, explore opportunities with The Key, or discuss how youth-led social action could work in your area, please contact: theteam@thekeyuk.org
Thank You
Sunderland Youth Action Unlocked was made possible thanks to the support from Sunderland City Council’s Carbon Team, Sunderland Altogether Consortium, youth workers, community partners, and, most importantly, the young people who brought their ideas, energy and commitment to the programme.
Together, they demonstrated the power of youth and showed what is possible when young people are trusted to lead change in their communities.
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