International legal practice Osborne Clarke, which has its largest UK office in Bristol, is to be a founding partner of a groundbreaking new project aiming to find solutions to some of the main issues facing young people.
National youth work charity UK Youth is launching the Joined Up Institute to bring young people and professionals together to learn from each other, turn evidence into action and solve key issues. 
As a result, it aims to provide a fresh perspective and a real solution to the fragmented system of support provided by professionals to young people.
By next year it hopes to have brought together 10,000 professionals from across a range of sectors with young people to work together to tackle issues including mental health, outdoor learning, employability and social action.
As a founding partner, Osborne Clarke will support the Joined Up Institute’s digital work, which aims to identify digital gaps for young people as well as the opportunities for both youth sector professionals to access digital infrastructure and the tech sector to engage with them. 
An Osborne Clarke partner will also be part of the institute’s steering group, providing unique expertise and supporting delivery.
UK Youth chief executive officer Ndidi Okezie OBE, pictured, said: “We want the Joined Up Institute to be a game-changer in the youth sector and are immensely grateful to Osborne Clarke for its support for this initiative.
“Young people are facing a complex and increasingly challenging world. There are pressures on their mental health, employment prospects and even physical safety.”
She said high workloads, reduced resources and limited support structures were resulting in increasingly stressed and isolated workforces, impacting the lives of millions. A new multidisciplinary and collaborative approach was needed.
“Meaningful learning across all sectors that work with young people is essential if we are to scale comprehensive and sustainable solutions that will truly support them,” she added.
“We know there is a lack of mutual understanding across the various services that impact young people and this fragmentation results in complexities young people themselves are left to try to navigate.
“To effectively develop young people in the UK, we need a joined-up approach from across the key sectors that exist to support them; only by working together can we tackle the systemic problems letting young people down.
“We believe youth work is a catalyst for change – young people need support now more than ever. We will bring professionals together to share insight, best practice to help create solutions to many problems and challenges young people are facing.”
Osborne Clarke began working with UK Youth in 2021 as part of a long-term partnership and funding programme to tackle digital poverty in young people, committing £500,000 to address the lack of digital skills and resources for young people.
Osborne Clarke head of responsible business Kate Millar, pictured, described Joined Up as a groundbreaking programme with the potential to make a huge difference in the lives of young people.
“We are a proud supporter of this initiative, and we also hope to learn from it – as we know that there is more the business community can do by joining forces and working together to create a positive impact and provide meaningful support to young people,” she added.
In addition to supporting the Joined Up Institute, during the past year, Osborne Clarke, has funded 20 youth organisations, positively impacting nearly 6,000 young people by enhancing digital access and staff capability.
Additionally, the firm, which employs 800 people in its Bristol office, will offer free pro bono support to several of the engaged youth organisations this year.
