The Raise Up Foundation

The Raise Up Foundation Enabling the aspirations of young people in Luton.

We’ve wrapped up another brilliant Holiday Club, funded by the Department for Education’s Holiday Activities and Food pr...
13/04/2026

We’ve wrapped up another brilliant Holiday Club, funded by the Department for Education’s Holiday Activities and Food programme.

A huge thank you to our teachers, Mrs Chaudhry from Lea Manor High School, Miss Arshad and Mr Raza from Challney Girls High School and Paul K Hammond, who came in to deliver our GCSE revision sessions, supporting young people ahead of their exams next month.

As one young person said:

“The teachers explained things in a simple, interactive way and took us back to the basics, so in the end even the harder topics started to make sense.”

Thank you als to our caterers Niralla, for your delicious, nutritious and filling meals!

Active Luton

24/03/2026

Relief Fund Your donation will provide relief to people who need it most Luton - give once or set up a regular donation to make a difference every month, if you can. Luton Thousands of people go without basic essentials every day in Luton. Almost 2 in every 5 children live in poverty. Several areas....

We’re pleased to to offer a FREE 4-day GCSE Revision Club for young people eligible for free school meals.🗓️ 7th April –...
23/03/2026

We’re pleased to to offer a FREE 4-day GCSE Revision Club for young people eligible for free school meals.

🗓️ 7th April – 10th April 2026
🕰️ 10:00am – 2:00pm
🥗 Lunch provided

👩‍🏫 For Year 10 & 11 students
📚 Sessions led by experienced tutors

👉 Sign up here:
https://activeluton.coordinate.cloud/book/260057

You will need your free school meals code to register. If you don’t have this, please contact your school who can provide it.

Alternatively, you can contact us if you need further help or information:

📞 01582 551446
📧 [email protected]

27/02/2026

This weeks IGNITE update!

We deliberately slowed things down a little. Many of our young people already had ideas for solutions to local health and wellbeing challenges. But real innovation doesn't begin with building - it begins with understanding.

Using structured thinking tools like the 5 Whys, teams explored root causes, barriers and lived experience, moving from surface-level ideas to clear, focused problem statements. This is where real cognitive growth happens: learning to question, analyse and think independently.

In the video below, one of our young people shares why he values IGNITE: it helps him understand issues more deeply and develop his own solutions. That independent thinking is exactly what we aim to strengthen.

Delivered during Ramadan, we built in a pause for Iftar and prayer to ensure every young person could participate fully and comfortably, because inclusion isn't an add-on, it's built into how we design the programme.

A huge thank you to Assan Shaukat Wardown Accountancy Ltd for generously donating food for Iftar. We are really grateful for your support and it really does makes a real difference.

20/02/2026

🔥 IGNITE × Luton Town Football Club 🧡

This week, our IGNITE young people visited Luton Town Football Club — and it was so much more than a football trip.

They got a behind-the-scenes tour of the club before sitting down for a careers session with some of the brilliant people who keep the club running day to day - from commercial and marketing to accounts, catering, media, community, and education. Some of our young people were lucky enough to win tickets to an upcoming match!

Through IGNITE we want to widen young people's understanding of the careers available to them and the diverse routes to get there. A football club is a perfect example — as Maisy put it, "you might not think about what happens behind the scenes."
Watch the video to hear more from our young people
themselves!

A huge thank you to everyone at Luton Town FC who gave up their time and especially Nasreen Afzal for making it happen!

13/02/2026

Please take a moment to listen to this testimonal from Aleesa, one of the young people taking part in our IGNITE programme.

Her words remind us exactly why IGNITE exists, and what we are trying to achieve.

IGNITE creates space for confidence to grow, for different strengths to shine, and for young people to learn in ways that feel relevant, practical and empowering. We’re proud of every young person who shows up, contributes, and challenges themselves each week. 🌟

Join us!We're excited to welcome a volunteer Marketing Intern to our friendly & supportive team!You'll be involved in a ...
30/01/2026

Join us!

We're excited to welcome a volunteer Marketing Intern to our friendly & supportive team!

You'll be involved in a high-profile programme and gain practical marketing experience while making a real impact.

Interested? Get in touch for an informal chat:

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/4f5BgyfRyc

A brilliant IGNITE session 👏This week, our young people heard from two powerful perspectives on how health, environment ...
30/01/2026

A brilliant IGNITE session 👏

This week, our young people heard from two powerful perspectives on how health, environment and sport shape our lives.

Huge thanks to the team at AgilityEco, who delivered a hands on session to show our young people how our homes and local environment directly impact physical health and wellbeing — from energy efficiency and warmth, to sustainability and long-term community outcomes. It generated thoughtful conversations about prevention, equity and the everyday systems that influence health.

We were also honoured to hear from Abdul 'Butch'​ Fazal from The Football Association, who spoke honestly and powerfully about his journey in football, the realities of working in sport, and the role physical activity plays in supporting both physical and mental health. His reflections resonated deeply with the room.

What stood out most was how grounded and practical the session felt, helping young people connect real experiences, careers and systems to their own understanding of health and wellbeing.

Thank you to our speakers for giving their time, insight and openness — and to the young people for their curiosity, thoughtful questions and engagement.

More to come as IGNITE continues!

Sisterhood, meaningful conversations and art - with chai and doughnuts generously donated by Chaiikhana - what more coul...
24/01/2026

Sisterhood, meaningful conversations and art - with chai and doughnuts generously donated by Chaiikhana - what more could we ask for? ❤️

Join us next time!

Our first IGNITE session kicked off! 🌟Young people:• Learned about the health issues affecting people in Luton and how h...
23/01/2026

Our first IGNITE session kicked off! 🌟

Young people:

• Learned about the health issues affecting people in Luton and how health outcomes differ across the town 📊 (shout out to Chimeme Egbutah from Luton Council’s public health team for a brilliant, engaging session!)

• Met local GPs and asked questions about urgent health issues in their communities 🩺

• Discovered the importance of healthy eating and practical ways to stay well 🥦🍎

This is just the start — IGNITE will give them the tools and teamwork skills to come up with solutions that can make a real difference. 💡💪

⭐️ What an unforgettable launch for IGNITE ⭐️ A packed-out audience of young people, alongside their families, local bus...
15/01/2026

⭐️ What an unforgettable launch for IGNITE ⭐️

A packed-out audience of young people, alongside their families, local businesses and community groups, came together to celebrate the launch of a programme designed to unlock confidence, skills and opportunity for Luton’s next generation.

The energy in the room said it all — curiosity, ambition and belief. It was especially meaningful to have the Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, with us, recognising the talent and drive of young people and how IGNITE can provide truly meaningful support.

A standout moment came from Zaqyas Mahmood from the Raise Up team, whose honest and powerful account of his unconventional educational journey reminded everyone why IGNITE matters. His reflection on how a programme like this could have supported him earlier in life resonated deeply and captured the very spirit of IGNITE.

We were also inspired by the contributions from the brilliant young people from The Stockwood Park Academy — thoughtful, confident and ready to take on the challenge of the IGNITE programme.

We were thrilled to be joined by Luton Town Football Club, who showed incredible generosity by providing gifts for the young people — including an amazing signed team jersey. Moments like this sent a powerful message to our young people: their town believes in them.

👏🏾 A huge thank you from Kailesh Karavadra, Rehana Faisal and the whole team behind IGNITE to all the organisations and businesses who attended and have supported us on this journey — your belief in local talent makes this possible.

A very special thank you the Stockwood Park Academy who have been incredibly generous with their time, energy and for hosting the programme so warmly.

This was just the beginning. IGNITE is about confidence, skills, real-world experience and showing young people that their ideas — and their futures — matter.

🔥 The spark has been lit — onwards and upwards for IGNITE and for Luton!

More information about the programme can be found here:
👉 https://lnkd.in/eQ-pK77J

If you’d like to support IGNITE, please email us at [email protected]

Luton Sixth Form College Mostaque Ahmed Koyes Active Luton Luton Council Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce

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All Saints Community Centre, 5 All Saints Close
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