With the closure of the National Citizen Service (NCS) Trust, and no similar national cohesion programme for young people to replace it, NCS approached The Good Side to help them understand the current state of play of youth social cohesion and the evolving factors impacting it.

We combined an analysis of existing literature and data sets to build a snapshot of key social cohesion indicators, before conducting youth-led research with young activists and young people across the UK, to understand how these trends were shaping their everyday experiences. We created a set of portrait films to bring young people's experiences to life in their own words.

Our insights identified how profound and novel societal shifts are reshaping youth social cohesion, redefining what belonging and connection mean for a generation, and calling for an urgent and dynamic response. The report was presented to leading youth sector organisations, the UK Government, and at the Anthropy 2025 conference where we convened a round table of youth activists, cementing a lasting legacy for NCS in this space, and ensuring that young voices were part of the national conversation.

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