About Us
Social Ark was set up in 2015 with the aim of enabling resilient 16–30-year-olds from under-resourced East London communities to develop social businesses- drawing on their own lived experiences.
We provide a standout programme of workshops, mentoring and personalised support that enables the young people we work with to focus on their assets and talents. In this way, they build on their goals, creating a springboard of positive action that results in sustainable change.
We’ve created the Social Ark Family which consists of our supporters and young people that have been through our programmes. They sit on our board as trustees and along with our youth steering group they shape and steer our work. The Social Ark core, and senior management team is made up of our alumni and people from our own community. Our alumni co-design our programmes and often co-facilitate them too, and they're always respectfully paid as the lived experience experts they are.
Our young people constantly tell us they don’t want to be “fixed or cured” by individuals that have “never walked a day in their shoes.” As they develop and lead their social enterprises, they go from being side-lined and overlooked to becoming respected role models and leaders in their communities.
Our Mission
Our mission is to start a ripple effect of positive change by building on young people's lived experience and talent with the skills, confidence, and support to own and run their own social enterprises.
Our vision is for an equal and equitable society, where young Londoners are championed for where they want to go and what they want to achieve in life.
Our Vision
Our Values
Our values are at the heart of everything we do. Inclusiveness, equality, equity, trust, respect, and empowerment for all regardless of race, religion, class, or other social barriers.
We understand the value of empowering young people who may have otherwise been overlooked, sidelined or ‘written off’. Hugely talented individuals have often told us that they lack self-belief due to the doors they’ve constantly had shut on them because of their backgrounds. The wrap-around care that we provide sets us apart from other organisations - with Social Ark, there is no ‘hard to reach’. We celebrate lived experience over formal qualifications, and welcome all entrepreneurial ideas that are in line with our values. Our entrepreneurs are leading change from the bottom-up, and we believe that is how genuine community sustainability is built!
We have made our mark in the local community by insisting on our inclusive values. People from different cultural and social backgrounds are getting to know each other and having fun. We are determined to create a resilient community where individuals are defined by how they empower and champion each other, rather than personal wealth or social backgrounds. Residents have grown to trust us - they get involved in our various projects and are keen to support our work.
