Our new CEO, Deborah Denis, shares why the people and communities around young people matter – and how Future First's new strategy will help more young people access the networks, opportunities and experiences they need to shape their futures.
Over the past few months, I've spent a lot of time listening and learning.
Listening to schools. Listening to employers, volunteers and supporters. Listening to colleagues who have dedicated years to helping young people access opportunities and shape positive futures.
And amid all those conversations, I've found myself returning to one simple idea:
Who young people meet matters.
Not because a single conversation changes everything. But because the people we meet shape what feels possible.
A former student returning to their school to share their journey.
An employer opening their doors and showing what a career really looks like.
A volunteer talking honestly about the twists and turns of their path.
Someone taking the time to say:
"I didn't have it all figured out either."
These moments matter.
They help young people see opportunities they didn't know existed. They build confidence. They challenge assumptions and stereotypes. And they reassure. At their best, they make futures feel more visible and achievable.
And yet access to these experiences is not equally distributed.
Talent is everywhere. Opportunity isn't.
There is a huge amount to do if we are serious about tackling inequality and improving social mobility. There are no silver bullets, no single intervention, and not one organisation can solve the challenge alone.
It takes a range of approaches, long-term commitment and organisations working together at different points in a young person's life.
There are some great organisations working to level the playing field for babies, children and young people and driving wider systemic change to ensure the best outcomes for children and young people. And this work is vital.
Future First's role is different. And it’s evolving.
We’ll be focussing on the point where we know we can make a meaningful difference - and we’ll be expanding what we do.
The secondary school student who isn't short of aspiration, ambition or potential, but who lacks access to networks, opportunities, pathways and possibilities. The young person who needs help seeing what is possible and understanding how to get there.
That's the gap we exist to fill. It’s where we believe we can make the biggest difference.
Today, we're launching a strategy built around a clear ambition:
Building the communities behind young people's futures.
For more than fifteen years, Future First has connected young people with alumni, employers and volunteers who can broaden horizons and open doors.
Our new strategy builds on that history and sets out how we'll create even more impact in the years ahead.
More support.
More opportunities.
More communities working together.
More lives positively changed.
Because helping young people navigate their futures is not something schools can do alone.
Schools play a vital role, but there is also enormous value in the people and organisations around them.
Former students sharing their journeys.
Volunteers giving their time, insight and encouragement.
Employers opening doors and creating opportunities.
Supporters and funders investing in young people's futures.
When these people come together around young people, powerful things can happen.
That is why community and collaboration sit at the heart of our new strategy. We’ll also be looking at how to involve more young people in our work creating ways for young people's perspectives to inform our decisions, services and future direction.
Success, for me, will be seeing more young people meet people who broaden their horizons and help them imagine a future they may never have considered before.
Success will be more schools connected to thriving networks of alumni, volunteers and employers.
And success will be more young people feeling that their future is something they can shape.
How many of us can point to a piece of advice, an introduction or some guidance that made all the difference?
I know I can.
And since joining Future First, I've heard countless people tell similar stories of when the words of others had an impact. And that’s why this work matters. And it's why we're so ambitious about what comes next.
Our ambition extends beyond delivering individual activities, one-off interventions, or building alumni communities alone.
We want every school we work with to become part of a thriving community that helps young people succeed. In doing so, we help more young people access new opportunities and fulfil their potential, regardless of their background.
We want to create a world where:
Every young person has access to meaningful role models, networks and opportunities.
Every school is connected to a thriving community of alumni, employers and volunteers.
Employers actively support social mobility and future talent development.
Young people feel confident, connected and optimistic about their future.
Opportunity is determined by potential, not background.
If you share that ambition, we'd love to work with you. Because every young person deserves a future that feels possible. And every young person deserves a community behind them.
Please take a look at our new strategy.
And if you'd like to help us build the communities behind young people's futures, get in touch. I'd love to hear from you.
Deborah Denis
Chief Executive, Future First
