Inspire 2 Ignite Secures Funding from City & Guilds Foundation to Tackle Youth Crime and Disengagement in Cambridge
Inspire 2 Ignite CIC has received funding from the City & Guilds Foundation to support a pioneering new initiative addressing youth disengagement, crime prevention, and employability in Cambridge.
The grant, awarded through the Foundation’s Local Community Skills Fund, will help deliver the Youth Empowerment and Crime Reduction Initiative – a 12-month programme designed to support young people aged 15–25 who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training), at risk of disengagement, or involved in criminal activity.
A Strategic Endorsement
The City & Guilds Foundation backs community-led programmes that build skills, remove barriers to employment, and support people facing disadvantage. Its investment in Inspire 2 Ignite CIC reflects growing recognition of the organisation’s innovative, community-based approach to early intervention and long-term support.
“This support goes beyond financial contribution,” said Christine Griffey, Finance Director at Inspire 2 Ignite. “It demonstrates that national stakeholders recognise the relevance and scalability of the work we’re doing in Cambridge. We’re proud to have City & Guilds Foundation’s backing.”
About the Cambridge Project
This new initiative is already in motion across Cambridge. It combines 1:1 youth coaching and mentoring, cohort-based programmes, and a joined-up referral ecosystem to support young people with complex barriers. Whether it’s preventing first-time offending or supporting young people post-custody, the focus is on building trust, confidence, and real-world skills that open doors to employment, education, or entrepreneurship. Over the next 12 months, the programme will engage at least 100 young people across the city – laying the groundwork for a model that can scale nationally.
What the Funding Enables
The City & Guilds Foundation funding enables Inspire 2 Ignite to:
- Deliver 1:1 mentoring and personalised support for young people impacted by crime, exclusion, or disengagement
- Run group-based development programmes focused on employability, confidence, and personal growth
- Provide practical experiences and opportunities linked to local employment pathways
- Build and strengthen collaborative referral networks between schools, employers, youth services, and local authorities
Looking Ahead
As the programme develops, Inspire 2 Ignite is actively exploring how this work can inform a scalable model of place-based youth intervention – combining prevention, rehabilitation, and opportunity in ways that can be adapted to other communities facing similar challenges. By demonstrating real impact at the local level, this pilot has the potential to shape future approaches to tackling youth disengagement and crime on a broader scale.
“We’re not just intervening - we’re building,” says Sam Squire, CEO of Inspire 2 Ignite. “And this partnership with City & Guilds is a major part of that.”
