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Youth Leads UK: championing the voices of young people in Greater Manchester and beyond
What began as a magazine for young people in 2011 has grown into an award-winning charity designed to enrich the lives of people aged 8-30 across Greater Manchester and beyond. Chief Operating Officer of Youth Leads UK, Mehran Mokri, explains how his organisation is encouraging the next generation of civic leaders with the assistance of funders like the Greggs Foundation.
In 2011, Saeed Atcha MBE DL and a group of his school friends decided to launch a youth magazine in response to negative publicity around young people in Britain. Xplode was dedicated to sharing positive stories of youth empowerment and social mobility with the aim of changing the narrative, giving young people the belief that they could have a positive impact on their communities in the process.
In 2019, Xplode was rebranded as Youth Leads UK to reflect the organisation’s evolution from a quarterly publication to a charity running leadership programmes, delivering social action projects and providing a platform for youth voice and creativity.
It’s about giving the youth opportunities to speak up with decision makers and help shape the discussions that affect their livesMehran Mokri, COO of Youth Leads UK
As Mehran Mokri explains,
“The magazine was intended as a place where young people could express their thoughts, their feelings and things they were passionate about. It’s still one of the only completely youth-led magazines today – with a distribution of around 25,000 print copies a year and roughly 55,000 digital readers.”
He continues,
“Over time, that evolved into a charity for young people to step outside their comfort zones, grow in confidence and build real-world skills. It’s about giving the youth opportunities to speak up with decision makers and help shape the discussions that affect their lives.”
The charity’s priorities revolve around three key areas: helping young people develop skills that last; explore pathways to leadership; and find their youth voice and ability to influence – be it in boardrooms or public debate.
Of particular importance to Youth Leads UK is the idea of supporting people furthest from opportunity – championing ambition and empowering people to grow into decision makers. As Mehran says,
“It’s not that we’re giving them a voice; it’s that we’re amplifying it and showing them how to use it. It could be in developing their employability by crafting a CV, learning interview techniques or adding to their skills.
“It can also be in supporting young people to interact with those in positions of influence and gain valuable experience. We often invite industry leaders to talk to young people about their journey and how they have overcome challenges. We’ve had the likes of directors from KPMG and Bauer Media over the years.
“For those who come from underprivileged backgrounds – particularly those who are looked after children or care-leavers – the experience of meeting industry leaders or shadowing people in positions of influence can be truly transformational for them.”
Another area of support provided by Youth Leads UK is in helping young people negotiate the next stage in their lives, whether that’s applying for universities, identifying opportunities to access important financial support, or even just developing the financial literacy required to become independent as an adult.
Many of the alumni of the charity have also gone on to start businesses, pursue futures in journalism and even establish their own social action projects. Mehran explains,
“Two young people recently decided to launch their own programme for refugees migrating to this country from parts of the world in conflict and suffering from mental health issues. That work and their willingness to stand up for a cause they believe in is inspiring – and it has a ripple effect on those currently going through our programmes.”
Expanding support with the help of the Community Action Fund
Like many charities, Youth Leads UK’s ability to provide assistance to the community is limited only by time and resource. Yet thanks to a £20,000 a year grant from the Greggs Foundation through the Community Action Fund, Youth Leads has been able to cover the part-time salary of a Youth Engagement Coordinator. This crucial role has enabled the charity to onboard an additional 90 young people onto its leadership programme in 2025. Mehran says,
“To provide a bit of context, we had 147 applicants the previous year and were only able to enrol 25 people. Across all of our projects and initiatives, we are now working with around 850 young people across Greater Manchester. We hope that by inspiring and supporting these young people, we can encourage them to achieve success, have their voice heard and become valuable members of their communities for years to come.”
Asked about the challenge of delivering long-term sustainable projects that support young people, Mehran says,
“Core funding like the grant provided by the Greggs Foundation is very hard to come by. But having this kind of funding enables us to retain the flexibility to ensure our programmes get delivered.
“Staffing, resource, venues; all that sort of stuff costs money and is essential to running projects, but not all grants cover these core costs. The money we’ve received from the Greggs Foundation gives us confidence that we can deliver programmes and actually make that money go further because we can utilise it where it is needed most.”
You can find out more about Youth Leads UK by visiting their website here.