Supporting change with unrestricted donations to London Youth and Just Us Dance Theatre

Ambassadeurs Group (AG) has made multiple donations to two key charities supporting young people in London: London Youth and Just Us Dance Theatre. It is an example of AG’s commitment to ‘giving back’, which in 2025 was specifically targeting charities and good causes close to home, in London.

London Youth is a charity on a mission to champion and strengthen London’s youth organisations so young people have the opportunities and skills they need to succeed. They do this with and through their members – a network of 600 youth organisations – and at their two outdoor residential centres, Hindleap Warren and Woodrow High House.

AG initially supported the charity with a £5,000 donation to support various areas of work

• Programmes
  London Youth’s employability, sports, mental health and arts programmes equip young Londoners with skills for work, foster creativity, build confidence, and broaden life experiences for those whose opportunities may be limited by economic or social disadvantage. Whether it’s CV workshops, creative arts training, inclusive sports tournaments, or mentoring sessions, these schemes pave the way for real-world success and self-expression.

• Supporting youth professionals
  Through its membership, London Youth supports and upskills youth workers so they’re better equipped to support young people. Examples include schemes like ‘Rise Up’, the charity’s programme enabling youth practitioners to better support young Londoners affected by violence, ‘Trusted Youth Allies’, aimed at upskilling and educating adults on how to support young Londoners who are victims or witnesses of crime, or the ‘Mentoring Support Programme’ for any organisation that mentors young people. By investing directly in frontline youth work professionals, London Youth strengthens the capital’s youth sector, which is often referred to as ‘the fourth emergency service’.

Having been thoroughly impressed with London Youth’s impact and breadth of work, AG chose to make a further donation of £7,500, supporting all of London Youth’s activities with a particular focus on funding adventures away from home at London Youth’s two outdoor residential centres:

• Nature and adventure at Hindleap and Woodrow
  London Youth gives young Londoners access to outdoor adventures – often a first-time experience especially for those from a low-income background. At the outdoor centres Hindleap Warren and Woodrow High House, young people can immerse themselves in nature, teamwork, and personal growth. For many, these residentials provide not only holiday joy – they are transformative, building self-esteem and opening new worlds of possibility.

London Youth works with all young people, focusing particularly on those who wouldn’t otherwise have access to the kind of opportunities they offer. In 2023-2024, the charity worked with 591 members who supported over 710,000 young Londoners. London Youth’s vision is that all young Londoners grow up healthy, able to express themselves, navigate a fulfilling career and make a positive contribution in their communities. ‘Because good youth work works,’ as the charity’s motto goes.

Another of London Youth’s initiatives is Born Ambitious, a network designed to inspire young people by connecting them to relatable role models. Joseph Toonga is an award-winning choreographer and performer, and a Born Ambitious ambassador. He founded and leads Just Us Dance Theatre, which also received £8,000 from AG in 2025.

Just Us Dance Theatre (JUDT), is a pioneering Hip Hop organisation that provides opportunities for young artists – especially those from Black and minority backgrounds and low socio-economic communities – to train, perform, and create, breaking down barriers to arts access. Joseph said: ‘It means a lot to receive this donation, and we truly appreciate the belief in our mission and the impact we’re aiming to create. The funding will be a huge support to our ongoing work with young people, including the various programmes we’re developing at Just Us Dance Theatre and the creation of a new digital mental health toolkit.’

How the £8,000 donation will be used

• To fuel various JUDT programmes. These include mentorships, training schemes, workshops, and bursaries for early-career artists in the Hip Hop community. By supporting these activities, AG helps ensure that young artists, often underrepresented in the wider arts sectors, gain the resources, training and confidence to flourish.
• To develop a digital mental health toolkit. Mental health remains a big issue for young people, particularly for Black and minority men who can face unique social pressures and systemic barriers. The development of JUDT’s new digital mental health toolkit will accompany Joseph’s latest dance work, ‘Joy Isn’t Always Joy’. The toolkit, co-created with psychologists from the UK and Brazil, will offer accessible online resources to support emotional wellbeing.

For AG, the donations are more than financial transactions: ‘They represent a deep investment in London’s future; a belief that creativity, support, and opportunity can change lives,’ said Krishna Hathi, Charity Initiatives Adviser at AG.