The Key is a small but ambitious North East charity that empowers young people across the North East of England, particularly those growing up in poverty and facing challenging personal circumstances.

Our vision is for a future where all young people believe in themselves, unlock their potential, and lead connected and fulfilling lives. Unfortunately, young people in our region face significant barriers to achieving this. That’s why The Key exists, to break down these barriers and empower those that need it most.

To make this happen, we work in collaboration to provide young people with meaningful and impactful opportunities to develop skills, build confidence, and grow resilience. Through The KEY+ Challenge, young people unlock their potential and take control of their futures.

Last year, we supported 1,635 individual young people. Together, they used their ideas and took the lead to think, plan, pitch, do & review 347 of their own projects and activities. In doing so, 97% of young people reported improved essential skills, 98% reported improved confidence and 97% said our support would have a positive impact on their futures.

Quotes from young people supported:

"KEY+ helped me have the confidence to believe in myself and not dim my personality to suit other people.”

"I am more confident and don’t feel scared to stand up and talk anymore."

"It has pushed me out of my comfort zone, made me improve in lots of different ways and given me opportunities that I could never imagine."

"Before doing this project, I wasn’t a very positive person and didn’t have anything to aim for. By doing this project, it has given me a focus and the feeling of achieving something."