Southside Young Leaders Academy

09/04/2026

SYLA works with Black African and Caribbean boys to build confidence, resilience and leadership while supporting success at school and in life.

Week after week, we watch boys find their voice, step up and lead.

With £10 a month, you can sponsor a young leader and support his journey through leadership sessions, one-to-one mentoring and academic support.

Our Legacy Builder sponsorship helps fund specialist leadership workshops that offer powerful experiences and life-shaping skills.

If you believe in opportunity, empowerment and community, this is your moment to step in.

👉 Become a supporter today

04/03/2026

✨ Your Feelings Matter ✨
Helping children understand their emotions is one of the greatest gifts we can offer. When kids feel emotionally safe, they grow braver, kinder, and more confident every day. 🌈

💬 Understanding Feelings
All feelings—happy, sad, angry, confused—are real and important. Teaching children to name their emotions helps them manage them in healthy ways.

🛑 When Something Feels Unsafe
If something makes you feel scared, uncomfortable, or unsure, your body is giving you an important message. It’s okay to pause, speak up, and reach out to someone you trust.

🤝 Bullying: Recognise & Respond
Bullying isn’t just physical—unkind words, exclusion, or repeated teasing count too. Kids deserve to know it’s never their fault and that help is always available.

🏡 Creating Safe Conversations at Home
Open ears + open hearts = a safe place. When children know they can talk without judgement, they’re more likely to share what’s truly going on inside.
Let’s build a world where every child feels heard, supported, and safe to be themselves. 💛✨

25/02/2026

✨ Staying Safe in Our Everyday World ✨
Helping our children grow confidently starts with the little habits that keep them safe—at home, at school, and everywhere in between. 💛

👀 Spot the Hazards
Loose wires, slippery floors, and crowded hallways—teaching kids to notice and avoid hidden risks builds awareness that lasts a lifetime.

✂️ Use Everyday Items Safely
Whether it’s scissors during craft time, kitchen tools while helping out, or sports equipment at practice, a little guidance goes a long way in preventing accidents.

🔥 Fire Safety Basics
Knowing how to react to alarms, practicing escape routes, and understanding the “stop, drop, and roll” rule can make all the difference.

🚦 Road & Pedestrian Safety
Look both ways, stay alert, use crossings, and know the rules. These simple steps help children stay safe wherever their day takes them.

Let’s work together to create a safer world—one mindful moment at a time. 🌍💫

#̭parentingtips

30/01/2026

Hear from one of our own Young Leaers here at SYLA:

"Before I joined SYLA, I mostly struggled with maths, confidence, and staying focused. My confidence was really low, like 43%, and it was hard to make and keep friends, even though I got along with people at school. I would play more than work, and my main dream was to become a footballer. I joined SYLA because my brother got a lot better when he joined, and my family told me about it.

Since joining SYLA in Year 3, I’ve improved a lot. I enjoy sports like dodgeball, teamwork challenges, and creative projects like making thinking caps with Miss Charlie. I’ve become better at maths, English, punctuation, oracy, and setting SMART goals. Team Up helps me with maths, and now maths at school feels easier.

I feel proud when I lead teams in football and Black Leaders projects. My mindset now is to do extra work to improve myself. I still want to be a footballer and maybe an electrical engineer too, like my uncle.

When we learned about Black leaders, they had hard times and a hard life, like Mohammad Ali, but their outcomes were unexpected – like a seed takes a long time to grow, but the outcome is a beautiful flower."

23/01/2026

On Saturday, our priamry boys continued their leadership training with a focus on Black leaders in STEM. They are studying Wiklian Kamkwamba, the Malawian inventor who built a wind turbine to power his village. His story shows how deterkination and aspjration can overcome challenges. The boys worked creatuveky to build their own wind turbjnes uskng spaghetti and marshmallows, demonstraring problem -solving skills and innovation!

We're proud of our Young Leaders!

02/12/2025

Syla x Team Up 🙌
Celebrating progress, partnership and potential 🌱
SYLA and Team Up are working side by side to help our Young Leaders thrive in English and Maths – supporting confidence, improving grades and nurturing resilience throughout the programme.
We’re excited to keep expanding our impact together, and watching this year’s cohort shine brighter every week. 🚀📚✨

21/11/2025

Building Brotherhood and leading with purpose 🙌✨️

Last week, our Young Leaders explored how positivity, teamwork, and communication strengthen relationships.
Through guided drama activities and group challenges, they explored how negative reactions can create a chain effect and how choosing calm, kindness, and active listening can break it. 💙

A culture of brotherhood is growing — and they're leading the way 💪.

31/10/2025

What an incredible debate between Southside Young Leaders Academy and Lewisham Young Leaders Academy! 🔥

Our SYLA boys gave it their all — though the win slipped away this time, their courage, confidence, and composure made us immensely proud. 👏🏾💪🏾
Every experience is a step forward, and every challenge builds stronger, wiser leaders. 🌟

A heartfelt thank you to LYLA for hosting this year's debate, and to everyone who came out to support and cheer on our young leaders — your encouragement means everything. 🙏🏾❤️

27/10/2025

Half term already! 🤩
What an incredible start to the SYLA year – new faces, strong friendships, and real leadership in action 💪
Our 'Safety in the Streets' project was a real highlight — featuring a self-defence workshop led by Krav Maga and a powerful session from Southwark’s Safer Neighbourhood Team, who even stayed behind to play dodgeball with the boys! 👏
Meanwhile, our younger members amazed us with their creativity in the 'Black Leaders' programme, designing Thinking Caps inspired by Black scientists and inventors. 🧠✨️

A brilliant start filled with growth, learning, and joy — all grounded in SYLA’s values of Self-Esteem, Self-Regulation, Behaviour, Aspiration, and Academic Achievement. 💫

01/09/2025

🌟 A huge thank you to all our incredible supporters who make the work of SYLA Southside Young Leaders Academy possible. Your belief in our mission empowers young leaders every day. 💙

Special thanks to:
✨ Alan & Babette
✨ Charterhouse in Southwark
✨ Garfield Weston Foundation
✨ Haberdashers’ Company
✨ National Lottery Awards for All
✨ Peter Minet Trust
✨ Polus Capital
✨ Royal National Children’s Springboard Foundation
✨ TPG Angelo Gordon
✨ Tom ap Rhys Pryce Memorial Trust
✨ United St Saviour’s Charity

Together, you are shaping brighter futures. 🙌🏾💡

29/08/2025