How ThriveNow is building ‘a thriving community’ through education
At ThriveNow, we believe that engaging in a thriving community supports young people’s wellbeing, personal growth, and sense of belonging – while contributing to a healthier society. When young people feel part of something bigger than themselves, they’re more likely to develop intrinsic motivation towards civic duties, engage in social impact, and play an active role in supporting the overall wellbeing of their communities.
This is why Thriving Community is the first pillar of our four-pillar framework – and the heart of our education model.
How can we begin to implement systemic change within education?
At ThriveNow, we are committed to promoting inclusion by fostering collaborative networks that get to the heart of systemic inequalities. First of all, we are actively listening to our community. We are responding to this by tailoring our accessible resources and practical frameworks to what we hear and understand our community needs, and then developing opportunities for partnership, enabling education settings to feel connected, equipped, and responsive in promoting:
Entrepreneurship
Ecological stewardship
Inclusion
The intelligent use of AI
1. Supporting community-led initiatives
We're partnering with local social groups, businesses, youth organisations, and wellbeing clubs to uncover, celebrate, and support the initiatives already strengthening our communities. These groups often go unseen – yet without them, our communities wouldn't be nearly as inclusive, connected, or resilient.
By amplifying their work and asking what support they need, we're helping to sustain vital community projects – while opening up new opportunities for young people to get involved. For example, one pressing issue for many, is the lack of sustainable funding streams and this is one of the ‘background’ elements we have been working on to address.
2. Connecting young learners with their communities
We’re creating two-way partnerships between schools and community initiatives – where young learners don't just access resources but actively contribute to community life.
Through:
Hands-on projects
Youth-led social action
Monthly ‘In Service’ webinars
Co-design sessions where young people shape ideas alongside educators and community leaders
For example, we have developed a series of Young Leaders Programmes about to run in our local area. These will be piloted and then shared further afield. We're nurturing a generation who see themselves as change-makers now – not just in the future.
3. Enhancing community-education ecosystems
Listening is at the heart of everything we do. We've launched stakeholder questionnaires for young people, parents, educators, and community groups – asking:
What do you want more or less of in education?
What skills feel most important for life?
How could schools better serve their communities?
These insights are shaping how we co-create learning pathways that connect education directly to community needs – helping young people to see their own role in shaping the world around them.
4. Thriving community in practice – our webinars
To bring our blueprint to life, we're launching free monthly ‘In Service’ webinars on education – designed to spark ideas, inspire action, and strengthen networks. Open to teachers, leaders, parents, and young people of secondary age, each session will feature inspirational authors and social impact leaders sharing practical strategies to support young learners.
Topics will cover:
Building confidence, self-efficacy, and executive functioning skills
Integrating financial and digital literacy into daily life
Fostering enquiry-led learning
Responding with care and creativity to diverse learning needs
Participants will leave with editable templates, tools, and resources to help translate insights into action. Follow-up co-design coaching sessions will support participants to reflect, adapt strategies, and collaborate on ideas – helping to create more inclusive, connected environments where every young person feels seen and supported.
Join the journey toward a thriving and healthy education system
We are excited to continue our journey in designing, building, and creating the ThriveNow Hub and secondary school —a clear roadmap and example to integrate into the education system, empowering young people to flourish and thrive. We invite you to join us on this journey by subscribing to and sharing our Substack.
We are also fundraising to turn our inclusive vision into a reality for young people across the UK. If you’d like to support us in challenging systemic inequalities and helping us all to ThriveNow, please consider donating by scanning the QR code below.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
With gratitude,
Kimberley and the ThriveNow team
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