LONDON, 14^th August 2025: OnSide, a national youth charity with a network of state-of-the-art youth centres across the UK, and the ASOS Foundation, which works to break down barriers for young people to achieve amazing things, have announced a major new five-year partnership. The collaboration represents a significant £1.5 million investment in the OnSide Youth Zone Network.

Building on their investment in the creation of Base71, Barnsley Youth Zone (Yorkshire’s first OnSide Youth Zone), the ASOS Foundation is now extending its support to benefit young people across the country.

This new investment will support youth workers across OnSide’s four London Youth Zones to begin with, before expanding to a further six Youth Zones by 2028. The support will enable the roll-out of a pioneering youth worker career pathway programme, currently being piloted across the OnSide Network. This five-year development initiative is designed to support Junior Youth Workers with potential to progress from a Level 2 Youth Work qualification through to degree-level, while continuing their crucial paid roles in Youth Zones.

This partnership comes at an important time for the youth sector, which continues to feel the impact of sustained funding cuts and increasing demand. Since 2010, local authority spending on youth services in England has fallen by over 70%, leading to the closure of hundreds of youth clubs and a significant reduction in youth work roles. At a time when many young people are navigating complex challenges, the need for safe, supportive spaces and trusted adults has never been more evident.

Thanks to this partnership with the ASOS Foundation, 35,000 young people will benefit from vital youth work support that empowers them to overcome challenges, unlock their potential, and create brighter futures. Backing from the ASOS Foundation enables OnSide to offer a long-lasting, sustainable career path for more Youth Workers, which, if successful, could be scaled up to support even more inspiring Youth Workers in the years ahead. It will also generate insights that could benefit the wider youth sector.

Jamie Masraff, Chief Executive of OnSide, said: “We are really pleased that the ASOS Foundation is extending its partnership with us and bringing much-needed investment into the youth sector. Youth workers are the backbone of our Youth Zones, providing guidance, support and inspiration to thousands of young people every year. This partnership will enable us to further invest in their development, creating clearer career pathways and ensuring they have the tools and training to make an even greater impact on young people in their communities.”

José Antonio Ramos, ASOS Foundation Trustee and ASOS CEO, said: “Our pioneering partnership with OnSide cuts to the heart of the ASOS Foundation’s mission of breaking down barriers for young people to achieve amazing things. The youth worker career pathway will not only deliver long-term, sustainable change for those directly involved, but also contribute to the wider success of youth work right across the country – helping drive long-term community impact. We’re proud to be extending our partnership with OnSide and are also looking forward to the launch of Yorkshire’s first OnSide Youth Zone, Base71, in Barnsley in the months ahead.” 

The new partnership reflects a shared commitment to creating opportunities for young people and investing in the future of youth work in the UK. By supporting and developing the workforce behind youth provision, the initiative aims to deliver a lasting, positive impact.

Notes to editors

About OnSide

OnSide is a national charity that believes all young people should have the opportunity to discover their passion and their purpose. 

To find out what they’ve got and where it could take them. We fund and build state-of-the-art, multimillion-pound Youth Zones in the country’s most economically disadvantaged areas.   

We train the amazing people that run them. We offer continuing support – and the nationwide OnSide Network where they can learn and grow, share their stories and celebrate their success together.   

These are brand new, purpose-built spaces fizzing with energy, and crammed with incredible facilities. They offer 20 activities each night ranging from football, climbing and media to skating, DJ-ing, drama and employability training with entry costing just 50p along with a £5 annual membership.   

They are staffed by skilled and dedicated youth workers who truly believe in young people – helping them see what they could achieve, and giving them the skills, confidence and ambition to go for it.   

Over 50,000 young people are already members across the OnSide network at our 16 open Youth Zones in:   

• Barking and Dagenham (Future) Youth Zone: www.futureyouthzone.org   
• Barnet (Unitas) Youth Zone: www.unitasyouthzone.org   
• Bolton Lads & Girls Club: www.boltonladsandgirlsclub.co.uk   
• Blackburn Youth Zone: www.blackburnyz.org   
• Carlisle Youth Zone: www.carlisleyouthzone.org   
• Chorley (Inspire) Youth Zone: www.inspireyouthzone.org   
• Croydon (Legacy) Youth Zone: www.legacyyouthzone.org   
• East Manchester (HideOut) Youth Zone www.hideoutyouthzone.org    
• Hammersmith and Fulham (WEST) Youth Zone www.westyouthzone.org   
• Manchester Youth Zone: www.manchesteryz.org   
• Oldham (Mahdlo) Youth Zone: www.mahdloyz.org
• Salford Youth Zone: https://salfordyouthzone.org/
• Warrington Youth Club: www.warringtonyouthzone.org  
• Wigan Youth Zone: www.wiganyouthzone.org   
• Wirral Youth Zone (The Hive): www.thehiveyouthzone.org   
• Wolverhampton (The Way) Youth Zone: www.thewayyouthzone.org   

There are six new Youth Zones currently at different stages of development including Barnsley, Crewe, Preston, Grimsby, South Bristol and Thurrock.   

Each Youth Zone is an independent charity with its own private sector-led board. This model of local ownership is a key factor in ensuring the financial sustainability of each Youth Zone. The Youth Zone provides a way for local communities to actively support their young people between the age of 8 and 19 (25 for those with additional needs). Visit www.onsideyouthzones.org for more details.   

About the ASOS Foundation

The ASOS Foundation’s mission is to break down barriers for young people so they can achieve amazing things. Since its founding in 2009, the Foundation has given over £8m to help provide a future for young people in the UK and around the world through charity partners including Centrepoint and OnSide. The ASOS Foundation is a registered charity in the UK (Charity number: 1153946), funded by ASOS, its employees, and its suppliers and partners.

About ASOS

Founded in 2000, ASOS has 18m active customers in over 200 markets. We bring fashion lovers around the world the best and most relevant fashion through our unique own brands including ASOS DESIGN, ARRANGE, COLLUSION, Topshop, and Topman, styled with the most exciting products from local and global partner brands. With our expert in-house design team and agile and flexible commercial model, including ASOS Fulfilment Services, Partner Fulfils, and Test & React, we make the latest trends accessible to all and give customers the confidence to be whoever they want to be.