Revive Croydon CIC exists to give local young people a real stake in improving the place they live and study. Our work is rooted in community-led regeneration: taking practical action locally, while working alongside wider plans, partnerships and investment where they exist.

Croydon has spent years being discussed as a place of future regeneration, often with little visible change on the ground. At the same time, the borough has repeatedly shown its ability to recover from setbacks — from the loss of major employers to periods of disinvestment and social unrest. We start from the view that this history demonstrates Croydon’s capacity to bounce back when local people are trusted and supported to take action, rather than waiting for change to arrive from elsewhere.

Croydon is also one of London’s youngest boroughs. Many young people here are ambitious and capable, but struggle to access meaningful work experience in a competitive labour market. Too often, opportunities amount to shadowing or low-responsibility tasks, with little to show at the end.

Our response is deliberately practical. We develop short, clearly defined projects where young people work to real briefs and produce finished outputs — from research and design work to physical improvements and usable tools for local organisations. The emphasis is on responsibility, completion and visible results.

We are a not-for-profit Community Interest Company working with local colleges, sixth forms and partner organisations. As we grow, our ambition is to expand carefully: building a wider range of practical services for local organisations, supporting local creatives, and playing a larger role in Croydon’s built environment: giving young people more ways to obtain a lasting stake in Croydon’s future.