Gateshead Youth Council has been using the KEY+ Challenge to help young people develop confidence, explore their interests and create positive change in their communities.
This commitment was recognised at The Key Awards 2026, where Gateshead Youth Council was named Outstanding Partner of the Year.
As a long-standing partner, Gateshead Youth Council has used KEY+ to give young people the opportunity to turn their ideas into action, develop new skills and discover what they are capable of when they are trusted to lead. From community projects to social action campaigns to young people taking on leadership roles within the organisation itself, the impact of KEY+ is clear.
We caught up with the team to find out how they use KEY+, the difference it makes to young people and why they continue to champion the programme.
We use it so our young people can do projects that they want to do so every young person who comes here do social action of some kind.
The fact that they can do that project you know because the only income we’ve had this year so far has been The Key. So, it’s the only money that’s come in for the young people to do groups this year. We’ve really struggled to get any kind of funding but for them, it makes loads of difference.
So we’ve got The Funky Phoenixes who started when they were in Year 8 and they were in tears, so we had a conversation about pulling it because they don’t come here to be like this. And when we mentioned it to them, they said no we’re still going to do it. Like Hannah was the girl who would cry if you looked at her and now, she’s really confident. She’s happy to try things. And we're hoping if she goes to university somewhere close that we can keep her because we would love her to be a facilitator. She mentors the other groups and inspires them.
We [also] had the #JellyBeans, which was Sophie who is now on our board of trustees.
The difference that it makes in their lives is just phenomenal.
It gives us access to letting young people do the things they want to do, in days where there is precious little coming in.
The fact that the young people can give it a go. The fact that they can try things that might not work but they can give it a go. We think people learn as much from things going wrong as they do from things going well. You still learn.
And the skills. The young people become more self-aware. It’s so important to recognise the skills you have and what you haven’t got.
Just do it. it’s worth every penny. I mean it’s £200; it’s nothing. And I guess if you’re a little charity, it is, but you can then access tons of money that your young people can use, and your young people can get all of those skills.
And we think sometimes in regular youth clubs, having anything that’s focused and structured often doesn’t work but The Key gives you some focus and structure. And the one thing that COVID taught us is that young people need focus and structure, so it lets you do that.
Creating Opportunities for Young People to Thrive
At The Key, we believe all young people should have the opportunity to unlock unlimited futures for themselves. Partners like Gateshead Youth Council make this possible by creating spaces where young people can take ownership of ideas, try new things, develop confidence and discover pathways they may never have considered before.
Their experiences show that KEY+ is about much more than delivering projects. It helps young people build belief in themselves, develop essential skills and realise that they can make a difference in their communities and beyond.
A huge thank you to Gateshead Youth Council for their continued partnership and commitment to supporting young people to lead, grow and thrive.
Interested in becoming a Key Partner? We’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with theteam@thekeyuk.org
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The Key