Groups and Networks

London Youth offers various groups and networks – spaces for youth organisations to come together and discuss the key issues affecting their work with young people. With our speakers from Government, the voluntary sector and policymakers, we exchange ideas, debate the issues and influence decision-making. Our networks are open to all, not just to members of London Youth.

Our groups

Members Senior Leaders Group (MSLG)

This group discusses the key organisational, strategic and policy issues faced by youth organisations in London. It is a space to share any learning and collaborate as leaders.

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LGBTQ+ Professionals Group

The aim of this group is to bring LGBTQ+ youth sector professionals together to support each other, share good practice and ensure a joined-up approach when delivering specialist LGBTQ+ services in London.

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Policy Advisory Group (PAG)

We ensure that our members have a say in the decisions that affect the work that they do by connecting them to sector stakeholders and policymakers and by influencing on their behalf. PAG gives our members an opportunity to be at the heart of our policy and media work.

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Our networks

Arts and Creativity Network

The Arts and Creativity Network brings the youth and arts sectors together to share knowledge, expertise and resources, discover ways to engage young Londoners with the arts and make creative opportunities accessible to all young people regardless of their background.

Employability Network

The Employability Network meets quarterly, bringing together youth work professionals to discuss key themes such as racial disparity in youth unemployment and how to best support young people with learning disabilities and to share policy updates. Previous speakers have included Mencap, Enabling Enterprise, Hackney CVS and Access UK.

Inclusion Network

The purpose of the Inclusion Network is to provide youth professionals with the opportunity to share knowledge, expertise and resources on how to make youth work as inclusive and accessible as possible. This includes reducing physical and social barriers, understanding and addressing needs, and promoting positive attitudes. Previous speakers include Stonewall, Greater London Authority (GLA), Mayor’s Office for Policing & Crime (MOPAC), Stop Hate UK, Young Minds, The Children’s Society and Gendered Intelligence.

Mental Health & Wellbeing Network

This network was set up to help youth professionals better support the mental health and wellbeing needs of the young people they work with. This allows our members to come together to address some of the challenges they face in this area, gain greater insight into wellbeing techniques and better connect with mental health services and other London Youth members. Previous speakers include Thrive LDN, Mind, Haptivate and many more.

Mentoring Network

The Mentoring Network is part of our wider Mentoring Support Programme; an initiative funded by the Mayor of London as part of the New Deal for Young People mission. The mission was created to ensure that 100,000 disadvantaged young Londoners have access to high quality mentoring opportunities. The network facilitates discussion on continual development of mentoring programmes and practice, including spaces to reflect collectively. The network is available for any organisation that is delivering mentoring with young people in London and the topics discussed align with the Mayor’s Mentoring Quality Framework resource.

Regional Impact Network

This is a network of youth organisations working in and around London, delivered by London Youth and Partnership for Young London, on behalf of the YMCA George Williams College. The network supports youth organisations to undertake meaningful evaluation and impact measurement. It  provides a ‘safe space’ in which members can share issues or challenges that they are facing in their work, seek advice from peers and access support that will inform their practice. We aim to make the sessions as practical as possible, drawing on the knowledge and expertise of members of the network, as well as experts in their field. Previous speakers have included representatives from the NYA and YMCA George Williams College, and Dr Tania de St Croix from KCL, and London Youth members.

Sports Network

The Sports Network is an in-person community of practice that is part of our Getting Active Movement approach. It strengthens connections and fosters collaboration between London Youth members and the wider community sport and youth sector to enable young people to lead more active, happier, and healthier lives. Each network is themed and opens with an expert panel of speakers – previous networks have focused on LGBTQ+ young people and sports, the Black youth experience of sports, and most recently, Sport as a tool to keep young people safe.

Violence affecting Young people network

This network aims to bring together individuals working with young people who are at risk of, or affected by, youth violence.

View our upcoming groups and networks