Meet the Organisations Helping Set Up Leeds’ Children for a Bright Future

Leeds has developed a strong network of organisations focused on supporting children and young people at every stage of their development. While their work often begins with immediate needs such as poverty, wellbeing, or education, the longer-term impact is clear. These are the organisations helping young people stay engaged, build confidence, and ultimately move closer to employment in the city.

Below is a closer look at some of the groups doing that work on the ground.

Zarach

Zarach is one of the most well-known Leeds-based charities addressing a fundamental but often overlooked issue. The organisation works to tackle child bed poverty, ensuring that children have a safe and comfortable place to sleep.

Across the UK, around 900,000 children are estimated to be living without a proper bed, which has a direct impact on their ability to concentrate, attend school, and maintain their wellbeing.

Zarach works through schools to identify families in need and provides complete bed bundles, including a bed frame, mattress, and bedding. This simple intervention has a measurable effect on school engagement and day-to-day stability, giving children a better chance to participate in education.

Projects delivered by Zarach in Leeds have previously been supported by One for the City.

RISE

The RISE programme was run by Gipsil from the old fire station in Gipton, working with boys aged 11 to 18 who may be at risk of exclusion or disengagement. Its focus is on early intervention, particularly around confidence, behaviour, and decision-making.

The project supports young people each year through a combination of one-to-one mentoring, school-based programmes, sports sessions, and workshops addressing issues such as knife crime, exploitation, and self-esteem.

Much of the work is built around consistent relationships. Mentoring and group activities provide a structured environment where young people can build trust, develop confidence, and begin to make more positive choices about their future.

As with Zarach, RISE projects delivered by GIPSIL have been supported through funding from One for the City, helping sustain programmes that work directly with young people in the local community.

Leeds Children’s Charity at Lineham Farm

Leeds Children’s Charity focuses on providing respite and development opportunities for some of the most disadvantaged children in the city. Through residential stays and outdoor learning experiences at Lineham Farm, the charity offers a break from challenging home environments while supporting personal development.

The organisation has supported over 100,000 children, offering experiences that build confidence, improve mental wellbeing, and create a sense of stability and belonging.

For many young people, these experiences represent a first opportunity to step outside their immediate circumstances and begin to build confidence in new environments. That confidence can carry forward into education and, later, employment.

Leeds Youth Service

Delivered through Leeds City Council, the Leeds Youth Service provides structured activities and support for vulnerable children and young people across the city.

In a recent year, the service delivered over 300 activity sessions reaching at least 500 young people, alongside wider programmes supporting families and those in care.

The focus is on building practical skills, confidence, and social development through activities such as outdoor learning, sports, and group work. These programmes often act as a bridge between education and wider life skills, helping young people stay engaged and supported.

Leeds Mencap and Youth Groups Across the City

Alongside larger organisations, there is a broad network of smaller groups and charities supporting young people across Leeds.

Leeds Mencap, for example, provides activities and support for children and young people with learning disabilities, helping them build independence and confidence through structured programmes. Across the city, youth groups such as Re:establish, LS-TEN, and The Tribe create safe spaces where young people can develop social skills, explore interests, and access support when needed.

These groups often operate at a community level, providing consistent, accessible support that can make a meaningful difference in keeping young people engaged.

Why this work matters

Taken individually, each of these organisations addresses a specific need. Together, they form a wider system of support that helps young people in Leeds move from early challenges towards long-term opportunity.

For some, that journey begins with something as simple as having a bed to sleep in. For others, it involves mentoring, confidence-building, or access to new experiences. Over time, these interventions build the foundations that allow young people to stay in education, develop skills, and move into employment.

For businesses in Leeds, this matters more than it might first appear. The future workforce of the city is shaped by the opportunities available to young people today.

Through supporting organisations like these, One for the City is not only contributing to immediate social impact, but also helping to strengthen the long-term prospects of the city itself.

There are many more organisations doing vital work across Leeds, and this is not an exhaustive list but simply a snapshot rather than a reflection of any exclusion.

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