WE EXIST TO CREATE BETTER LEADERS FOR A BETTER SOCIETY
We live in a society facing tough social problems – from the isolation of older people to stubbornly persistent social inequalities. These challenges are often highly complex and the solutions seem elusive.
We believe that the answer starts with people.
We connect Year Here Fellows with opportunities that help them build an understanding of how social problems can hit the people hard. Helping them to build on this insight, our faculty and partners inspire courageous approaches to change.
As well as driving long-term change through better leadership, we aim for serious impact in the here and now. Year Here brings manpower and innovation to critical public and social services, directly affecting the lives of some of the most marginalised people in London.

THERE’S A WORLD OF DISCOVERY IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD
Too often, budding leaders are disconnected from their own society. They may be focused on global poverty rather than issues at home. Or they are too easily swept up in the silent segregation that keeps the university-educated moving in different circles to the rest of society. Our Fellows forge relationships with people from all sorts of backgrounds and develop a grounding on their home turf.

SOLVING SOCIAL PROBLEMS STARTS WITH UNDERSTANDING THEM
Our Fellows contribute to vital frontline services and get an insight into the lives of marginalised people and those that work with them – like the immigrant family struggling to get by without strong English or the harassed care home worker who finds herself spending more time on paperwork than caring for residents. We believe that this human-level insight is an essential foundation for social change.

LEADING CHANGE IS A SERIOUSLY DEMANDING PURSUIT
Social change is about more than satisfying someone’s desires, as commercial business often is. Improving society necessitates a rigorous understanding of the social change process, as well as all the tools of business. The sooner we acknowledge the inherent intellectual, creative and personal demands of driving change, the better we can prepare people for that almighty challenge.

SOCIAL CHANGE HAPPENS WITH PEOPLE – NOT TO THEM
Our Fellows know that meaningful change comes from undertaking projects and initiatives with people – not to them, for them or at them. We don’t parachute them, into poor communities to ‘save’ them but instead encourage everyone to begin their efforts by listening, learning and establishing meaningful and equitable relationships.