About Vested
A platform supporting young people to lead change.
In our pilot project - in partnership with Trust for London - Vested has brought together a group of young adults to decide how to invest up to £300,000 in employment opportunities in London.
We'll be working together with the panel, young people, community organisations and funders to shape what comes next.
About the pilot.
The Vested panel is a group of six young adults (18-25) from across London. All have experienced unemployment for at least four months and all have faced barriers to good work. Some are now running their own businesses or are in work, some are still unemployed. Some have degrees, some don't. For most, it's their first experience on a panel like this. None have previous experience of social investment.
Left to to right: Angelique, Aklima, Akriti, Kevin, Great, Ali
"I'm Angelique - I'm a young carer. I know from experience how challenging unemployment is, as someone who has learning difficulties and caring responsibilities. I believe investment can help underrepresented groups to thrive, and I joined Vested because I'm passionate about tackling social injustice."
"I'm Aklima - I'm a young educator and person living with type 1 diabetes. I know first hand how difficult it is to juggle life with a chronic illness, let alone not be able to access the right jobs. I've joined Vested because I'm keen to address today's social injustices."
"I'm Kevin - a transformed ex-offender. From having a criminal record at the age of 13, I know that doors are often shut in your face, and if you're lucky, you may only find low-skilled jobs with no long-term vision. I wanted to join Vested because I wanted to know what societies are doing about this issue. Actions speak louder than words, so I wanted to see where the action was and also be part of the solution.
"I'm Great - I'm 24 and filled with coffee beans. As someone who's struggled with unemployment, I'm obsessed over how to possibly make this process less overwhelming and demoralising for job seekers."
"I'm Ali - I'm a refugee, actor, facilitator and activist. As someone who was not able to work in the UK for years because of the asylum process, I know how much some young people want to work and have to give to society, but don't have the chance".
More about the name.
We think of “vested interests” as the people with money - who are often working behind closed doors - making decisions that benefit themselves. But what if we changed who helped decide where money goes? We've come to the name Vested because it means giving control over something (i.e. where money goes) to the people who have experience of the problem (ie. who really understand what it’s like) and have a "vested" interest in doing something about it.
About us.
This pilot is led by Shift and Trust for London, with funding from the Connect Fund.
Shift is social innovation charity who help people disadvantaged by today’s social problems to shape the services and changes they want to see in the world. Shift are facilitating the sessions for our panel.
Trust for London is one of London's largest funders. They have been working to build a fairer city since 1891, investing in organisations making a social impact. They are sharing their investment expertise with the panel and providing up to £300,000 of investment funding.
The Connect Fund has funded this project. It exists to help the social investment sector in England better meet the needs of charities and social enterprises.
Get in touch.
If you have any questions about the pilot or want to be involved in what comes next, send an email to Vested@shiftdesign.org or message 07807553647.