Oasis joins national effort to tackle youth violence as an Education Catalyst Partner

Oasis is proud to be selected as one of six organisations from across England and Wales to become a Catalyst Partner in the Youth Endowment Fund’s (YEF) Education Catalyst Pilot Programme.

The programme aims to support education leaders to adopt evidence-based strategies to prevent children’s involvement in violence and activities undertaken by partners will help answer the question: ‘what support is needed – and what works – to enable education settings to effectively implement YEF’s Education Practice Guidance?’ 

Backed by funding from the YEF - a charitable body supported by the Home Office - Oasis will lead a multi-year programme to test and embed evidence-based approaches to reducing youth violence through education. The project will run until November 2027, with pilot academies already onboarding across the North West, South West, and South Coast. 

Together, the Catalyst Partners will generate real-time insights into what works, shaping national guidance for government policy, school leadership, and safeguarding frameworks across the education sector and beyond. 

Matthew Cannon, National Safeguarding Lead at Oasis said:  

“We’re thrilled to be part of this important national effort. At Oasis, we believe schools are more than places of learning – they're communities of care, connection and opportunity. The programme will help us build on that foundation and contribute to a national evidence base for what works.”  

Martin Brown, Principal of Oasis Academy Sholing in Southampton, whose academy is part of the Catalyst Programme added: 

“This is a chance to lead with purpose. Our academies are ready to engage, reflect and innovate – putting young people at the heart of a safer, more inclusive future.”  

This partnership builds on Oasis’s existing work in youth violence prevention, including the PACS and Navigators programme in Greater Manchester. Since launching in October last year, the initiative has delivered 113 one-to-one sessions with parents, providing tailored support and interventions to reduce risks of violence, crime, and exploitation. The programme currently partners with Oasis Academy MediaCityUK, Oasis Academy Oldham, Oasis Academy Leesbrook and Oasis Academy Harpur Mount. 

Additionally, Oasis also works closely with the London Violence Reduction Unit to deliver hospital-based youth support at North Middlesex University Hospital in Enfield and St Thomas’ and St Giles’ Hospitals in Lambeth. Experienced youth workers provide tertiary support to young people under 24 admitted due to violence, while also training clinical staff and raising awareness of local contextual risks.

The programme is embedded within Oasis Community Hubs: Hadley and Waterloo, working in partnership with Oasis Academy Hadley, Oasis Academy Enfield and Oasis Academy South Bank. Youth workers also support in-school mentoring, staff training, and a holistic approach to safeguarding.  

Oasis’s approach is rooted in the socio-ecological model of prevention (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), which recognises that meaningful change requires supporting individuals within the context of their relationships, communities, and wider societal structures.

In Manchester, this is brought to life through Oasis’ community hub model, PACS, and active engagement in youth voice events, campaigns, and research that inform structural change, including the Catalyst project itself. 

Dennis Simms, Assistant Director for Change in Education said:

“At the YEF, we are delighted to be partnering with Oasis through the Education Catalyst Pilot Programme. Our mission is to prevent children’s involvement in violence by finding out what works and putting it into practice.” 

“This collaboration will help improve the support children receive and will shape national strategies, ensuring education leaders across the system are equipped to implement evidence-informed approaches.”