Six young changemakers have been selected to win this year’s Spark Awards, and we’ve been so inspired by each one of them!

• Neuromancers founded by 19-year-old Aiyana Goodfellow, is launching one of the first UK-based peer-led, online help chat built by and for neurodivergent+ young people.
• WEEE Renew led by Yulian (22) and the PPCP Team, is a youth-led initiative tackling the urgent issue of youth unemployment through digital inclusion and corporate e-waste recycling. 
• Climate Courage, Climate Live, led by Frances Fox, aged 24, and the Climate Live team, is addressing a growing mental health crisis driven by climate anxiety.
• Room Too, a bold, youth-driven project led by 19-year-old Oluferanmi Balogun, tackles the inequality of overcrowded housing by transforming underused spaces into safe, inspiring study hubs for young people.
• Be the change. Media Academy, led by 24-year-old Lily Mott, empowers young people aged 13–25 to navigate and transform today’s digital media landscape with confidence and creativity. 
• The Muslim Social Justice Initiative (MSJI), led by 25-year-old Hamza Rana, is a youth-led project building community power among Muslim and Global Majority young people in Manchester.

Each winner will receive up to £40,000 in pilot funding, along with a 12-month, tailored learning and development programme worth £10,000 as well as:

• Coaching for personal growth and to develop leadership skills.
• Joining Big Change’s community of changemakers.
• Growing in confidence as they build on their ideas for social change.
• Exploring their imagination, discovering new skills, and having fun.

We’ve been so proud to partner with Big Change on these awards; they represent everything we stand for here at the Ferdinando & Luigi Innocenti Foundation, and we can’t wait to see the impact these young changemakers will have!

Learn more at www.big-change.org/spark-awards