The King’s Trust Tackles Youth Unemployment with Bold Campaign

The King's Trust has launched a new campaign, ‘Working For Young People,’ to spotlight the urgent societal issue of youth unemployment. With nearly a million young people (945,000)* not in employment, education, or training, this figure is equivalent to the UK’s third largest city, representing a population larger than every major city in the UK, bar London and Birmingham.

Creatively conceived and executed by T&P, who were also responsible for all media planning and buying, the campaign highlights the barriers young people face securing employment - from care responsibilities and financial difficulties to poor mental health and a lack of opportunity. It underscores The King’s Trust far-reaching support, which helps tens of thousands of young people each year to change the trajectory of their lives and to take control of their future.

The film was directed by rising filmmaker Luis Cross, set to the industrial sounds of Joy Division, and voiced by acclaimed actor and King’s Trust Ambassador Stephen Graham. Starring young people supported by the charity, this is The King’s Trust’s inaugural campaign, having recently rebranded from The Prince’s Trust to The King’s Trust and announced its mission to end youth unemployment.

The campaign also sits across Radio, Social and OOH, with photography shot by Sam Wright.

Through the campaign, The King's Trust invites young people to seek their support and invites donors to join them in bringing about lasting change for a generation of young people.

Sylvia Lowe, director of brand and marketing at The King’s Trust said, “Young people across the UK need our support more than ever, so this new campaign will play a vital role in reaching more young people and donors. We want to explain that The King’s Trust is here to offer skills, confidence and funding to help young people start careers, as well as demonstrate our commitment to ending youth unemployment. Thank you to everyone who has made this campaign possible, including our generous media partners: Sky Media, Bauer Media Outdoor and Audio, and The London Standard, who are supporting the campaign launch.”

​Carl Storey and Tom Sillars, associate creative directors at T&P said, “From the moment our team made the city-sized comparison, it was just impossible to ignore. By making the scale of the employment crisis (945,000) easy to understand, we believe this campaign can make a real difference to the lives of a million young people.”

*Source: House of Commons Youth Unemployment Statistics & ONS