West London Children’s ZoneOnly Connect

Mobilise supported Only Connect, a unique crime prevention organisation to develop The West London Children’s Zone.  This has the ambition to help every child from a disadvantaged background in a square mile of West London, over the whole course of their childhood. The aim is that all young people in the Zone land safely in college or work, not in prison or on the dole. It is taking a long term, relational approach building on latent community assets and working in neighbourhoods with young people that struggle with education, employment and are involved in crime and gang issues. Mobilise has supported the strength mapping of local institutions and services, and recruited and supported the local young people who have begun to take this work forward. This model is exciting because it is using private investment to fund the development and the mechanism of a social impact bond, to negotiate public service funding further down the line on the basis of proven results.  Mobilise has supported Only Connect develop the vision and translate it into a reality on the ground.