Raise Up Youth Summit 2025
Connecting Generations, Creating Change.
In October 2025, the RaiseUp Youth Summit launched in Liverpool, — a bold, first-of-its-kind event bringing together 400 young people aged 16–24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), with 400 business leaders and employers.
The mission: Raise Up, Rebuild, and Reimagine social mobility in the UK.
The summit marked the beginning of a powerful new movement for opportunity, optimism, and action.
RaiseUp isn’t just a summit — it’s the start of a social and economic transformation for the UK.
Working in partnership with Rise CIC and Thrive, Aurora helped define the event’s purpose and ambition: to reconnect generations and create real, measurable pathways into work for young people.
We positioned RaiseUp as a hopeful and future-focused movement — an antidote to traditional, policy-heavy conferences. Instead, RaiseUp became a cultural and emotional experience — blending insight, inspiration, and action to drive real change.
In the words of the movement:
“When you rise up, lift someone with you.”
— Maya Angelou
The day featured inspiring keynote speakers, who shared insights, experiences, and practical advice to empower the next generation and employers.
Sara Davies - Entrepreneur and Dragon’s Den Investor
Sara stressed the importance of building meaningful connections with employers, and finding mentors who can guide an employee to help them reach their full potential.
Ashley John-Baptiste - Broadcaster, Journalist, Author
Dawn Paine, Aurora Co-founder, shared a fantastic conversation with Ashley who discussed his powerful insights on the need to nurture and empower children in care, helping them to see the possibilities for their future. He reflected on the vital role of key workers and how their support and belief can shape a young person’s life.
A Stage for Inspiration: Leaders and Changemakers Ignite Ideas for Young People and Employers
Thought-provoking conversations were led by experts like Joe Hall from Channel 4, Jake Mills of Chasing the Stigma, Sarah Atkinson from the Social Mobility Foundation, and many more.
With voices from Jamie Carragher, Sir Andy Cooke QPM DL, Lynne Peabody of the EY Foundation, Sareena Bains and Emma Carter of Movement to Work, Amanda Unsworth from Trinity Logistics, Carl Wong of Baltic Ventures, Steph Barney of Girls On The Go, Sam Byrne of Block P, Katie Byrne from Barclays, and Nicki O’Connor from the DWP and panels hosted by broadcaster Leanne Campbell.
Each speaker sparked meaningful conversations, new ideas, inspiration, and real connections between employers and young people.
Bringing Raise Up to life
Aurora positioned Raise Up as hopeful and future focused movement, grounded in optimism and authenticity.
Our rallying call — RaiseUp, Rebuild, Reimagine — captured the spirit of a generation ready to believe in itself again, and a business community ready to step up.
The visual and verbal identity reflected connection, energy, and movement — designed to feel as dynamic and ambitious as the young people it represents.
A bold new format which inspired collective action.
Our event design fostered empathy, sparked energy, and encouraged collaboration—bridging generational divides and inspiring young people to believe in their future.
Here’s how it unfolded:
Morning for employers — hosted by Aurora Co-Founders Valerie Bounds and Dawn Paine, designed to challenge business leaders to act on social mobility.
Crossover lunch — uniting young people and employers for genuine connection and shared understanding.
Afternoon for young people — inspiring confidence, resilience, and belief, with practical skills and real-life stories of success
Driving Real Action: Launching YouthPath
A central outcome of the summit was the launch of YouthPath Liverpool City Region, in partnership with Movement to Work.
YouthPath is a pioneering initiative enabling employers to create real opportunities for NEET young people — building on the successful blueprint established in the West Midlands.
Councillor Marion Atkinson, Leader of Sefton Council, issued a clear call to action: for more employers to join the movement and commit to building a fairer, more inclusive future workforce.
Standout highlights
800 attendees — 400 young people and 400 employers together under one roof
A completely new event format that connected generations and inspired collaboration
Launch of YouthPath Liverpool City Region — a lasting legacy for the city and beyond
Endorsements from political leaders including Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves, who visited Thrive’s careers hub in the weeks leading up to the event
National press and social coverage, generating powerful momentum across the UK
Commitment from major UK businesses to continue investing in youth employment and social mobility
The Beginning of a Movement
The success of RaiseUp 2025 has sparked the creation of an annual national event series that will scale across the UK, in partnership with major employers and civic organisations.
In collaboration with our incredible sponsors— Weightmans, EY, Microsoft, Accenture, the Social Mobility Foundation, LinkedIn, and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority—we worked together to help pave the way for a brighter future for young people.
Together with Rise CIC, Thrive, and Movement to Work, Aurora will continue to grow RaiseUp as a national platform for social mobility — empowering businesses to invest in opportunity and giving young people the belief and access they deserve to thrive.
