Guiding young lives, one track at a time.
Future Tracks was a targeted mentoring programme for vulnerable young people across South East London, Dartford and the Southeastern railway network — helping them travel safely, build confidence and step away from harm. The project has now completed; this is the story of what it set out to do, and what it achieved.
About the project
Mentorship on the move
Delivered by Youth Unity CIC in partnership with Southeastern, Future Tracks met young people where risk is often highest — on and around the rail network. Through trusted, consistent relationships, it combined one-to-one mentoring, accredited training and detached youth work.
The programme helped young people navigate public spaces responsibly, develop essential life skills, and make safer choices. At its core it was preventative — reducing the risk of involvement in crime, exploitation and anti-social behaviour.
“More than a transport route — for many young people the railway is where risk, escape and opportunity meet.”
Our strategy
Prevent · Prepare · Protect
Prevent
Education, positive activities and outreach in schools and communities — highlighting risk and helping young people make informed choices.
Prepare
Training and safeguarding consultancy that equipped schools, organisations and communities to recognise and respond to vulnerability.
Protect
Building emotional and cognitive resilience so young people could say no to violence, drugs and exploitation — working alongside police, schools and local authorities.
How it worked
A three-strand approach
Listening first
A community safety survey across Dartford, Greenwich and Sidcup captured what residents and commuters needed to feel safe — shaping everything that followed.
Positive activity pilot
A mobile intervention space took detached youth work directly to hotspot stations — offering sports, music, podcasting and a welcoming place to be.
One-to-one mentoring
Consistent mentoring for young people identified as at risk of anti-social behaviour and serious youth violence — building trust and a positive path forward.
Listening first
We started by listening
Before delivering anything, we ran a community safety survey across Dartford, Greenwich and Sidcup. The findings — around lighting, safe spaces and travelling together — guided where and how we worked across the network.
What we offered
Practical support and real opportunities
- One-to-one mentoring with a trusted adult, role model and advocate
- Accredited training & soft skills — food hygiene, safeguarding, IOSH, GDPR, customer service and more
- Career preparation — CVs, interviews and education pathways
- Group and individual sessions on what matters most to young people
- Creative sessions — podcasting, music production and film
- Safety awareness, including county-lines and staying safe on the railway
Detached youth work, on the move
The Unity HUB — a mobile intervention space — brought services directly to hotspot stations across the network: Sevenoaks, Sidcup and Greenwich. Equipped for sports, music production, podcasting and film, it created a welcoming, trusted space staffed by youth professionals, with a deliberate focus on the after-school hours.
Impact
What the pilot achieved
- Stronger, trusting relationships with vulnerable young people
- A recognised ‘safe space’ for young people and parents to seek guidance
- Reduced anti-social behaviour around stations, notably Greenwich and Sidcup
- Earlier identification of young people at risk
- Strengthened partnerships across safeguarding, policing and schools
- Intelligence- and data-led practice, and fewer operational disruptions for Southeastern
Outcomes drawn from the project evaluation and partner feedback. Add your own headline figures — young people supported, sessions delivered — here once confirmed.
Working together
Delivered in partnership
Southeastern
Safeguarding leads opened up the network and shaped delivery around real passenger and community safety needs.
British Transport Police
Joint working to identify risk early and keep young people safe on and around the railway.
Local authorities & schools
Referral routes and shared safeguarding that connected young people to the right support at the right time.
Legacy
Reached its destination — but the support continues
Future Tracks showed the value of meeting young people where they are. Its findings — including the case for a permanent mobile intervention unit and a focus on the after-school ‘lost hours’ — continue to shape how Youth Unity works across communities. Worried about a young person? We’re here to help.
Visit youthunity.org