Context is everything. We built Inside Success against a backdrop of systematic dismantling. What’s more? We witnessed the closure of youth services across Lambeth, Barking and Dagenham, Hammersmith and Fulham, Newham, Westminster, and Redbridge. We saw centres close their doors. They made thousands of dedicated staff redundant, leaving communities with a void where support and guidance used to be.
I worked in places like Stratford Circus, The Meeting Place, and the Tooting Hub. I saw the work in care homes and youth provisions across these boroughs. They pulled apart infrastructure built over generations. I saw experienced workers displaced, budgets slashed, and the safety net removed.
Out of that vacuum, we created a solution. We launched a magazine and created opportunities. We provided structure where the state had walked away.
But the reception we received raises a difficult, unavoidable question. If the leadership was
