Helping young people find meaningful work and communities build better futures.

Meaningful Futures is a place-based social innovation initiative bringing together young people, businesses and communities to work on real local challenges, lead the new economy and prepare for a better future.

Get in touch

Why this matters

Young people are growing up in a world shaped by climate uncertainty, social inequality and rapid change.

They care deeply about the future — seeking security, meaningful work, and a chance to build a better future — but existing career guidance and employability schemes rarely make visible the many ways people and organisations are already leading change

At the same time, many organisations want to help build a better future — for people, place, and planet — but lack ways to work together locally on the challenges that matter most to communities.

What we do

Meaningful Futures connects young people with businesses and organisations who are leading change locally. Together, they work on real social and environmental challenges and explore what meaningful work, and regenerative living actually look like — in practice, and close to home.

In a nutshell

We’re reimagining work experience, career pathways and community collaboration — so the next generation can help shape a new economy and a future that work for people and the planet.

  • Meaningful Futures is a place-based learning journey bringing together 16–18-year-old students and local changemaker organisations to work on real social and environmental challenges in their own communities.

    We bring together:

    • sustainability and social justice awareness

    • inner development (meaning, values, agency and responsibility)

    • leadership development (systems thinking, collaboration and collective action)

    • real-world collaboration and social innovation

    Students encounter people and organisations already leading change, build confidence and agency, and discover new pathways into meaningful work.

    Organisations gain fresh insight from future talent and innovative approaches to complex societal challenges.

This is NOT about

  • Traditional work experience

  • Telling and advising young people

  • Incremental CSR and sustainability

  • Business as usual

This IS about

  • Real local challenges

  • Intergenerational learning

  • Multi-stakeholder innovation

  • New economy, regenerative living and systems change

What we’re building next

After a successful first pilot in Brighton, we’re shaping a larger-scale pilot in 2026–27 in Sussex, focussed on regenerative coastal living.

We’re building this in collaboration with:

  • young people exploring meaningful futures, work and careers

  • colleges and educators seeking deeper, future-fit employability experiences

  • organisations and employers interested in future talent, local impact and collaboration

  • funders and sponsors supporting systemic, place-based change

    • Co-creating the programme and learning design

    • Identifying priority social and environmental challenges in Sussex

    • Securing early funding or donations to cover start-up and design costs

    • Partnering with corporate sponsors to support ongoing programme delivery

    • Onboarding partner organisations — including colleges, businesses, changemaker organisations and community groups

    • Building the core delivery team and a senior advisory group

Come on the journey with us

We’re inviting people and organisations who share our mission to join the collaboration. This is a chance to help shape something from the ground up.

We need a range of skills and expertise to make this happen.

  • Learning & programme design
    Learning design, facilitation, coaching, mentoring, curriculum development and reflective practice

    Communications & storytelling
    PR, communications, social media, web and platform building, video production, brand and design

    Convening & delivery
    Event design and delivery, stakeholder convening, partnerships and coordination

    Content & subject expertise
    Sustainable living, regenerative business, circularity, nature conservation, community wellbeing and social justice — especially with a Sussex focus

    Operations & governance
    Social enterprise management, finance and accounting

Whether you’re curious, exploring collaboration, or interested in supporting the next phase — we’d love to start a conversation.

Get in touch

Young people are the changemakers of tomorrow.

They can’t be what they can’t see.

  • “I now know I want to work in an environment that helps the community while still making a decent living.”

    —Student Participant

  • " It’s a great addition to our skills week and has to be the way forward!"

    —Will Baldwin Principal BHASVIC College

  • "It was extremely worthwhile for the lucky students, and great to meet the other changemakers involved."

    —Jenny Barrett, Founder of circular business SuperLooper

  • “I’ve learned that I need to focus on my qualities that will push change.”

    —Student Participant

  • "Such a fantastic opportunity for our students, they thoroughly enjoyed it and got so much out of it."

    —Donna-Marie Janson, Principal Varndean College

  • " It's great to see so many like-minded businesses in the area.Thanks for organising such a fab project!"

    —Louis Perkins- SEED (B-Corp)

  • “Meaningful work is doing what you love and helps the local community”

    —Student Participant

  • "Students came back buzzing with stories and inspiration, and real life understanding that we can all lead change".

    —Hannah Read, Skills and Employment Team, Brighton & Hove City Council

Making changemaking everyone’s business.

Meaningful Futures is a Community Interest Company (Number 16886869) and was incubated by Do What Matters .

Get in touch