Background & Context
Jayden was a shining light when he became involved with Grassroot Communities 5 years ago aged 12 while attending Bridge Learning Campus in Hartcliffe. At the time, Jayden was living in care and navigating significant change and uncertainty in his home life. Like many young people in the area, he was experiencing barriers linked to instability, limited resources, and a lack of opportunities to have his voice heard.
Grassroot Communities began working with Jayden as part of a school-based youth social action programme, designed to equip young people with practical skills, confidence, and the opportunity to lead change within their own community. This became known as the ‘South Feast Pantry’.
In short, they created a youth led food bank by young people, for other young people in their school who could do with a bit of a helping hand at home, in what was and still is very challenging times for many. This project involved coming together as a group over a term and then planning and promoting the decided opportunity to all students through short films, presentations, posters and discussions, contacting and getting regular donations of food from local supermarkets, stocking their foodbank shelves every week and opening once a week after school for all students to choose 5 items each to take home. Heart breaking and warming in equal doses..
The Challenge
During early sessions, young people explored issues affecting their school and wider community. Through honest discussion, a common theme emerged:
many students were going hungry, stealing food, or struggling at home without support.
This presented multiple challenges:
- Food insecurity among students
- Stigma and shame preventing young people from asking for help
- A lack of youth-led solutions within the school
- Young people feeling disconnected from decision-making
Jayden and his peers were also navigating adolescence, education pressures, and personal challenges, making sustained engagement and leadership development crucial.
The Intervention: South Feast Pantry
Grassroot Communities supported Jayden and a group of young people to design and deliver their own solution:
a youth-led food bank, created by students, for students.
With consistent youth worker support, the group:
- Developed teamwork, communication, and leadership skills
- Identified food insecurity as a priority issue
- Planned and launched South Feast Pantry, a weekly in-school food bank
- Wrote letters to local supermarkets to secure donations
- Created promotional materials including posters, presentations, and videos
- Designed a fair access system allowing each student to select essential items with dignity
- Managed stock, delivery, and weekly opening sessions after school
Grassroot Communities’ role was not to lead for them, but to create the conditions for young people to succeed, providing guidance, trust, and practical support while keeping ownership firmly with the young people.
Jayden’s Role
Jayden emerged as a key contributor within the group. He:
- Took responsibility for contacting supermarkets and securing donations
- Helped promote the project across the school
- Supported the running of weekly sessions
- Worked alongside peers he would not usually mix with, building new relationships
At the time, Jayden did not fully realise the scale of what the group had achieved. As he later reflected:
“At the time I was only 12 and didn’t realise how different and impactful it was. Now when I think about it, the project was insane, who starts a weekly food bank supporting hundreds of kids at that age?”
Outcomes & Impact
Immediate impact:
- South Feast Pantry supported 50+ students per week within its first term
- Reduced stigma around asking for help
- Strengthened peer relationships and school community
- The project became embedded within the school and continued beyond the initial programme
Long-term impact (as reflected by Jayden years later):
- Jayden used his volunteering for his Duke of Edinburgh Bronze and Silver Awards
- The experience remains on his CV and is regularly spoken about in interviews
- Increased confidence, leadership skills, and belief in what is possible
- A lasting sense of pride and achievement
Years later, Jayden independently reached out to Grassroot Communities after watching a documentary about growing up in Hartcliffe. This reconnection highlights the lasting emotional and developmental impact of the project.
Where Jayden Is Now
Jayden now lives back with his mum in Bridgwater and continues to pursue opportunities shaped by his earlier experiences of responsibility, service, and teamwork.
He is currently:
- Studying carpentry
- Accepted into the Irish Guards, beginning training in Yorkshire
- Motivated by learning practical skills, leadership, and life experience
- Actively reflecting on social issues, including toxic masculinity, peer pressure, and mental health among young men
Jayden has also been invited to contribute to a future What Really Matters – Discussion Panel focused on Inclusion for Young People and Communities.
Reflection: Why This Matters
Jayden’s story demonstrates something youth work has always known but struggles to quantify:
The true impact of youth work often reveals itself years later.
The South Feast Pantry project was not just about food.
It was about:
- Belonging
- Being trusted
- Being listened to
- Being supported to become the solution
With committed relationships, time, and skilled youth workers, young people like Jayden are able to develop confidence, purpose, and a belief in their own potential, impacts that continue long after a project ends.
Key Learning
- Youth-led approaches create deeper, longer-lasting impact
- Trust and relationships are more powerful than resources alone
- Young people facing challenges already hold the skills to lead change
- Youth workers are the critical catalyst for transformation