Building Digital Connections for Young People: Our Youth Sector Innovation Incubator Journey

At Allstar, we’re committed to using technology to create meaningful connections for young people. Working alongside partners like NCS, CAST, Yalla Cooperative and youth organisations like FotoNow CIC and Groundwork UK, we’ve tackled a crucial challenge: how to engage young people who avoid in-person programmes due to feeling overwhelmed by new social settings.

Understanding the Need

We identified key needs for young people:

• The ability to choose how they engage.

• The chance to influence the activities provided.

• A safe space to connect with like-minded peers.

• A space that doesn’t feel overwhelming.

  
  

For youth workers, the tool had to:

• Make it easier to understand young people’s needs.

• Provide resources and support to create engaging experiences.

• Help youth workers build confidence in facilitating online programmes.

Two Prototypes for Different Needs

To meet these diverse needs, we’ve created two prototypes:

1. Safe Spaces for Young People

This prototype allows young people to set up small groups (no more than 8) around a topic of interest. Moderated by a youth worker, these groups provide a safe, manageable space for engagement.

2. Empowering Youth Organisations

The second prototype provides a platform for youth organisations to create inclusive programmes. With tools, templates, and resources, youth workers can easily design activities that are engaging and tailored to young people’s needs.

The Goal

Our goal is to use digital tools to help young people connect with others in a meaningful way, increasing the likelihood of ongoing engagement in both online and in-person programmes. By providing safe, flexible spaces for young people to engage and empowering youth organisations to co-design activities, we believe we can create a more inclusive, engaging experience for all.

Looking Ahead

We’re excited about the progress we’ve made and continue to refine these prototypes based on feedback from young people and youth workers.