Our Mission:

Our mission is to improve the understanding of young people’s online behaviour, encourage positive social media use, and empower young people in London with the digital skills needed for success in today's digital workforce. 

We will continue to work towards unlocking the potential of young people across London and educating those closest to young people (professionals, parents, and trusted adults) on how to support them through their time online. 

What are we doing?

The Social Switch Project is made up of two strands, our Online Harms Training, and our Digital Skills & Employability Programme.

Our Online Harms Training is offered both online and in-person to those closest to young people (professionals and parents/trusted adults). 

We recognise the need to support professionals and parents/trusted adults in dealing with both harmful online behaviour and real-life violence which can escalate as a result. Our Online Harms Training is CPD-certified and improves participants' understanding of young people's online behaviour, and how to support them through social media whilst encouraging positive online behaviour. 

Our Digital Skills & Employability Programme, is free for 16-30 year olds living in London. Through our programme, we are unlocking the digital skills of a generation and empowering individuals with the knowledge needed to succeed in today’s digital workforce.

We understand that every young person has unique needs, so we offer an extensive support menu that is tailored to each individual. The support that can be accessed includes: career coaching, work experience, transport support, Photo ID acquisition, in-work support, IT and internet support, interview clothing, and much more.

We continue to advocate for participants post-programme and aim to support every young person we work with into a positive outcome that suits them such as employment, an apprenticeship, further education/training, etc. 

What have we achieved?

Reflecting on our journey since we launched in 2019, we are proud to share some of our accomplishments: 

The Social Switch Project has trained over 1500 professionals working with young people to deal with the challenges and opportunities of the digital world through our Online Harms Training. 91% of participants in our Online Harms Training increased their understanding of young people's use of social media. 88% of participants in our Online Harms Training increased their understanding of the safeguarding risks associated with social media usage. 

We have trained over 109 young Londoners in social media management with 79% in employment, an apprenticeship or further training and 20% completing work experience or internship opportunities; the remaining continue to receive intensive career support. 

We have funded 40 grassroots projects across London which support and engage young people, click here to meet our grantees. 

Recognising our impact, we were highly commended for the Workforce Development Award at the 2022 Children and Young People Now Awards

Who is involved?

The Social Switch Project is proud to be supported by a group of exceptional partners and funders:

• The Mayor of London's Violence Reduction Unit, which works with a wide range of public and private institutions as well as communities across the city to keep London safe.

• Catch22, a social business that has long championed the creation of resilient and aspirational communities in the UK through their focus on alternate education, apprenticeships, social justice, and rehabilitation services.

• RedThread, a charity that has supported young people through the vulnerable transition of adolescence for 20 years. RedThread makes use of health services to create teachable and reachable moments, transforming the support available to young, violence-affected, or disadvantaged individuals.

• Genius Within, owned and led by neurodivergent individuals, Genius Within empowers individuals to unlock their inner brilliance and achieve outstanding results in the workplace. Their lived experience ensures that they are fully equipped to provide top-notch support and solutions.

• Inspiring Connections, a personal development and networking programme aimed at helping people reach their career goals. They bring together mentors from various professional backgrounds to work with people who face barriers to employment. Participants in Inspiring Connections gain valuable connections with industry professionals while receiving guidance and support.

We are proud to work alongside these respected partners and funders to improve the lives of young people in London and empower them to succeed in today's digital workforce. Learn more about our funders and partners here.

How was the project formed?

The Social Switch Project pilot launched in 2019, when Google.org was seeking a way to tackle the growing issue of antisocial and violent online behaviour, which often leads to violence offline. Initially funded by Google.org and two of London’s leading charities Catch22 and Redthread. 

The Social Switch Project believed that to truly have an impact on levels of violence affecting young people in London we must tackle the cause; disenfranchised young people operating in a radically changing world, often without positive alternatives.

We recognised the need to address inappropriate content on social media and the violence that escalates as a result.  And the need to provide young people with creative methods of expression and the ability to be a positive voice online.

Frontline professionals working with young people are perfectly placed to have all of these conversations. The Social Switch Project focussed on training professionals who are directly engaged with young people, at risk of being impacted by youth violence online and offline. The training utilises youth workers’ existing knowledge and best practices to enable them to understand the significance of issues faced online, to openly talk about the challenges, and to be able to navigate young people towards more productive and creative online activity. 

The Social Switch Project also delivered a training course for young people to channel their creative skills towards positive outcomes - working to get them work experience and long-term employment with leading organisations across London.

Recognising our impact, the mayor of London and its Violence Reduction Unit alongside Catch22 and RedThread are now supporting our next phase of The Social Switch Project; backing our work to divert at-risk youth towards fulfilling digital careers, and continuing to train those closest to young people (professionals and parents/trusted adults) to understand their online behaviour and how to support them through social media.