The merging of the Centre for Youth Impact and YMCA George Williams College aims to bring together leading expertise in evidence, insight and data with training and learning for practitioners working with young people.
It will offer impartial and evidence-informed support to all those working with and for young people, the charities have said.
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Current chief of the Centre for Youth Impact, Bethia McNeil, will become the interim chief executive at YMCA George Williams College before leading the combined charity following the merger.
Current chair of the Centre for Youth Impact, Martin Houghton-Brown, will be appointed chair designate of the combined charity.
Members of the current Centre for Youth Impact Board will join the Board of YMCA George Williams College. The combined charity will be a member of the YMCA Federation.
Between now and Spring 2022, both charities will work to align their activity and develop a new combined strategy “to build a stronger movement of quality support and improvement for those working with young people across the UK”.
“We will spend the coming months listening to the views of youth organisations and practitioners on how the combined charity can best offer support and build evidence and insight,” a statement said.
McNeil added: “The Covid pandemic had a huge impact on young people and those who work with and for them. The pandemic has shown the significant unmet needs and inequities in our society, and our sector. Young people need quality relationships with practitioners with the right skills, right knowledge and understanding of what matters. In coming together, we will better meet this need by embedding insight into practice.”
The exact timeline for the merger is to be determined but is planned to complete by spring 2022, and further details on timeline will be available over the coming months, the charities have said.
