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The Way Youth Zone Impact Report 2025/26

The Way Youth Zone's 2025/26 impact report - themed 'Because of The Way...' - showcases a year of life-changing youth work in Wolverhampton: 3,414 young people accessed The Way, creating more than 41,000 moments of connection through activities, youth work support and opportunities designed to help young people thrive.

Report snapshot
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About

The Way Youth Zone is a Wolverhampton charity offering young people a safe place to belong, grow and thrive, with over 150 activities a week across sport, arts and wellbeing, targeted mentoring and specialist support, free meals, and community outreach across the city.

Key Metrics

Young people reached 3,414 young people accessed The Way during the year - around one in 19 young people across Wolverhampton - including 1,884 new young people joining the community.
Sessions and activities 618 sessions were delivered to bring young people together, with over 150 activities available each week across sport, arts and wellbeing.
Hours of youth work 3,497 hours of youth work support were provided, creating more than 41,000 moments of connection.
Free meals provided 28,000 free meals were provided to young people during the year.
Targeted support delivered 262 young people received mentoring or specialist support, and 493 safeguarding concerns were successfully managed by the team.
Wellbeing improvements Young people reported feeling less anxious (84%), more resilient (79%) and better able to manage their feelings (92%) as a result of their involvement with The Way.
Outreach conversations The outreach team held 1,816 conversations with young people across Wolverhampton's communities; 72% of young people engaged through outreach later attended activities at The Way.

Key Outcomes

  • Young people built confidence, made new friends and developed leadership skills through trusted relationships and professional youth work.
  • New initiatives including Inbetweeners and Chill n Chat helped more young people feel comfortable, included and supported.
  • Employability pathways are being developed through TheWay2Work so every young person can reach their full potential.

Geography

West Midlands

Impact Snapshot
568,000
babies reached by Bookstart Baby in 2025/26 (93% of all babies born)
Over 1.1 million
children and families engaged with Bookstart programmes in 2025/26
80%
of parents and carers receiving Bookstart Baby say they now read or share books and stories more with their child
445,600 children aged 1-4 reached through Bookstart Toddler and Pre-schooler, including 37% of all 1-4-year-olds living in low-income households
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
440,000+ young people aged 4-18 active members across 7,000 Groups
Key Metric 2
140,000 volunteers supporting the movement across the UK
Key Metric 3
373 Sections opened or re-energised in England between April 2024 and March 2025
0.3% overall growth in young people (ages 4-18), driven by 31% increase in Squirrel Scouts (5,200 young people)
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
55,000 foster carers and 370 fostering service providers as members across the UK
Key Metric 2
45 new Fostering Friendly Employers recruited, bringing the scheme to over 680,000 employees across the UK
Key Metric 3
95 Fostering Wellbeing Pioneers in Wales offering peer support and mentoring to fellow foster carers
191 children and young people engaged in outdoor adventure weeks through the Fostering Attainment and Achievement programme in Northern Ireland
Impact Snapshot
People directly supported
200,000 children, young adults and families were directly supported across The Richmond Project's programmes and partnerships in its first year.
Grants awarded
15 grants worth almost GBP 2m were awarded to support impactful numeracy projects, champion new disruptors and create solutions where gaps were found.
Pupils reached with books
Almost 100,000 pupils benefited from over 6,000 maths-themed books sent via Bookmark Reading Charity Rocket Packs to more than 300 schools in disadvantaged areas.
Children who loved books encouraged to see maths in a new light, with schools reporting the packs provided 'another way in for engaging reluctant readers'.