The Lord Mayor's Appeal

A City that cares

Focusing on the 1 million young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), The Appeal utilises the Lord Mayor's unique convening power to help young Londoners develop the knowledge, confidence, skills and experience they need to obtain meaningful employment. 

The impact of young people being NEET is very damaging, both for the individuals affected and for the country's economic prosperity. While London experiences slightly lower levels of youth unemployment than some other regions, the challenge remains acute, especially for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and care-experienced young people.  

The Lord Mayor's Appeal identifies and supports a portfolio of charities tackling different aspects of the NEET challenge to work in partnership with, broadly tackling one or more of the following areas:  

Prevention – improving focus, attendance and attainment 

Employability Skills – assisting with CVs, assessments and interviews 

Barriers to work – building knowledge and confidence, mental health and financial support 

Access to opportunities – work experience, apprenticeships and traineeships 

We help to design and coordinate programmes with our business and livery supporters so the young Londoners those charities are supporting can take advantage of the opportunities available across the City. 

The Appeal seeks to maximise its impact by working together with other philanthropic organisations to scale up successful initiatives, as well as share what is learned collectively with policymakers.