Working together to improve lives.
Oxford is recognised as the second most unequal area in the United Kingdom to grow up in. With rising youth unemployment, an escalating youth mental health crisis, and one in six children growing up in poverty, the need to mobilise influence and resources has never been greater.
This isn’t about charity. It’s about solidarity with young people facing trauma, inequality and exclusion. It’s about moving beyond funding youth services to reshaping the systems that continue to fail them.
The campaign marks a deliberate shift from strategy to action. It targets three deep-rooted challenges facing young people today:
• Poverty and Inequality of Opportunity
• Youth services are struggling to provide the opportunities and support young people need to thrive
• Education, Employment and Skills /Training
The Business Guardians is designed to help dismantle what’s holding young people back – and to create the solutions for real, lasting change. We cannot keep applauding resilience in young people without asking why it’s needed.
Inequity is not a flaw in the system – it is the system.
This transformative initiative has already attracted an impressive coalition of industry leaders, including BMW Group’s Oxford MINI Plant, ARC Oxford, The Oxford Collection, Blenheim Palace, Lucy Group, Ebbon Group, David Lloyd Oxford, Freeths, and Cleenol.
Achieving lasting social change takes time, innovation and sustained investment. In a bold move to bridge the stark divide between Oxfordshire’s world-changing innovation ecosystem and local youth inequality, Oxfordshire Youth has launched its pioneering Business Guardians programme.
The Plan is grounded in a simple premise – every young person deserves the opportunity to develop skills and thrive.
The Business Guardians will collaborate with Oxfordshire Youth over the next three years to:
1. Unlock employability opportunities for young people facing multiple barriers to work, including access to apprenticeship pathways, work placements, employability workshops, and mentorship.
2. Invest in multi-year core funding, thereby releasing critical resources to enhance OY’s impact.
3. Form a leadership council composed of the CEOs of the businesses involved who will meet quarterly to support the advancement of OY’s strategic goals, including establishing a permanent office and youth space for OY housing other organisations working with young people – The Oxford Centre for Youth Innovation.
Each Business Guardian brings a unique skill set, experience and perspective, helping Oxfordshire Youth widen opportunity and ensure diverse young people benefit in different and meaningful ways.
Blenheim Palace’s mission, “To share and protect this place for future generations, to enhance the lives of local people and to be the lifeblood of the local economy”, is firmly aligned with our core values. Oxfordshire Youth is deeply appreciative of Blenheim’s unwavering commitment to young people and we are united by a shared passion for growing deep-reaching roots into the communities we serve.
Lucy Group is an international engineering and manufacturing business with a strong commitment to people development. As a Business Guardian for Oxfordshire Youth, Lucy Group plays a key role in the Future Leaders programme and delivers structured work experience cohorts, supporting young people to build skills, confidence and pathways into leadership and technical careers.
ARC Oxford is an innovation-led life sciences and technology campus bringing together research, enterprise and community. As a Business Guardian for Oxfordshire Youth, ARC Oxford opens up a multitude of opportunities linked to the future of business, construction and enterprise, helping young people access emerging sectors and future skills.
Freeths is a national law firm with strong ESG leadership and a long-standing commitment to social impact. As a Business Guardian for Oxfordshire Youth, Freeths provides professional expertise, mentoring and insight into legal and corporate careers, and already offers significant support to care leavers, including care packages at Christmas to help young people feel valued and supported.
The Oxford Collection is a luxury hospitality group rooted in responsible business, people development and place-based impact. As a Business Guardian for Oxfordshire Youth, the organisation supports employability and progression into hospitality careers and is involved in Round Up For Your Activity, helping generate sustainable funding for youth services across Oxfordshire.
David Lloyd Oxford is part of a leading health and wellbeing organisation with a strong commitment to inclusion and community impact. As a Business Guardian for Oxfordshire Youth, David Lloyd Oxford supports young people’s physical, mental and social wellbeing, helping them build confidence, resilience and healthy habits for life.
BMW MINI Plant Oxford is one of the UK’s most iconic manufacturing sites, committed to innovation, sustainability and workforce development. As a Business Guardian for Oxfordshire Youth, the plant opens pathways into advanced manufacturing, engineering and future skills, inspiring young people from a wide range of backgrounds.
Cleenol Group is a certified B Corp and UK manufacturer of high-quality cleaning and hygiene products, recognised for its responsible, inclusive and purpose-led approach. As a Business Guardian for Oxfordshire Youth, Cleenol leads the way in offering diverse employability cohorts, supporting young people to access skills, opportunity and long-term career pathways.
Ebbon Group is a digital platforms company with a relentless mission to solve the problems faced by the global automotive community – driving together towards an efficient, sustainable and safer future. We have an established portfolio of products that primarily serve the fleet community. For over 20 years, we have focused on connecting and automating the automotive community with an increasing range of platforms.
Calling all young people in Year 7 to Year 11 in and around Cowley in Oxford. Oxfordshire Youth are launching our weekly Digital Skills Youth Club for you to upgrade your Digital Skills on Monday 4th November 2025. Join our mailing list for this youth club to stay up to date!