Oxfordshire is well known for its gorgeous scenery and world-class university, but alongside this splendour, the county holds seven areas falling into the 10% most deprived nationally. Oxford is the second most unequal city in the U.K., with 25% of children growing up below the poverty line. This means thousands of young people in our community are facing homelessness/insecure housing, school exclusion, and poor mental health, and are therefore struggling to reach their full potential.

Oxfordshire Youth’s mission is to transform young lives, unite communities, and tackle inequality of opportunity through the power of youth work.

With 75 years of expertise working directly with young people aged 8-25, and the grassroots leaders, volunteers, and youth organisations that support them, our work is reducing violence and homelessness, equipping young people with the skills they need to engage with education, employment, and training, and supporting them to manage their mental health.

In an October 2022 report, Leaders Unlocked found that 17% of young people under 30 said that the current cost-of-living crisis is having a large or catastrophic impact on their physical health, with 45% reporting a large or catastrophic impact on their mental health. Our services are in the highest demand since the charity’s beginning in 1947.

Reading news stories about the escalating problems of inequality in Oxfordshire, and the fast growing mental health crisis for young people can often make us feel powerless or overwhelmed, but there is always something you can do which will make a difference.

By fundraising for Oxfordshire Youth you are sending out a powerful message, one of hope, optimism, compassion, and committed courage. Raising money for our core costs campaign is a direct action that you can take to put resources where they are most needed right now.

Every penny you raise will go towards our work to do whatever it takes - from supporting the youth work sector, to mental health interventions, crime prevention, and safe, supported housing - to ensure that whatever a young person’s starting point in life may be, that nothing holds them back.

Without wonderful people like you this cannot be achieved, which is why we have set an ambitious target for our Team #RunforYouth this year. Thank you for joining us.

Join Team #RunforYouth as part of the cheering squad by clicking here to register with no cost. We'll hang out with the runners in race village before and after the run, and cheer them along the route and across the finish line!