The impact of COVID-19 has been especially hard on young people from poor communities; affecting their access to education and job opportunities, as well as their wellbeing. In a survey by Young Minds, 67% of young people report that the pandemic has had a long-term negative effect on their mental health.

That impact hasn't gone away, but All Stars is providing young people a chance to learn the skills and resilience needed to bounce back:

By joining All Stars, Nicolas turned an isolating time into an opportunity to grow. They connected weekly with other young people. They met with professionals in fields like finance, media and medicine, developing confidence in interviews, public speaking and workshop facilitation and much more.

By the end of the cycle, Nicolas had received a week of work experience at the Financial Times and performed as a host in our Virtual Talent Show. Nicolas and his fellow Young Leaders are ready to perform new roles in an uncertain world - at school, in further education and future employment.

Your contributions to All Stars' 2022 Perform Your Potential campaign will help provide these opportunities to more young people aged 14-20. Focused on confidence building and collaborative leadership, our approach prepares them for a future we don't yet know:

-- 3 months of performance-based leadership training and presentation skills

-- Bridge-building sessions with professionals across different industries, including finance, journalism, medicine, community activism and many more

-- producing and hosting a community project in the form of a Talent Show that can engage other local young people

-- Valuable work experience and one-on-one Summer mentorship.

This years programme is already underway, but we urgently need your help to sustain it through to the end of 2022 and beyond. In these challenging times, foundation grants fund only a portion of our work. So please consider donating to make sure more young people can receive the opportunities they deserve.