As one space closes, many more open

Last month, the trustees of YMCA George Williams College voted to close the charity, with operations ceasing on 31 March. Those familiar with the recent history of the College will know this marks the end of two organisational journeys: the 50 year journey of the College as a site for learning, and the 10 year journey of the Centre for Youth Impact as a small but specialist part of the youth sector infrastructure.  

I’ve been both humbled and fortified by the huge number of messages that the organisation and I personally have received since the closure announcement. I haven’t yet replied to the vast majority because I’ve struggled to know what to say. I think it will be a while before I fully acknowledge and work through my own emotions. But before we close, there are a few things I want and need to share.  

My primary feeling at the moment is sorrow: I’m devastated for the good people – the College’s committed staff team – who are losing their livelihoods, and for all the people who left the College when it taught out in 2018 onwards, and more recently, when it became harder and harder to sustain the charity. I’m heartbroken that the journey of the charity is over. Many charity leaders say their primary goal is to put themselves out of business, but I knew we had so much more to do. And I’m so, so sad that we – all of us – work in a sector and an environment that can’t sustain organisations like the College. I believe this makes all of us poorer. We lose plurality of thought, the specialism and deep knowledge that a ‘niche’ organisation can bring, and the independence of a charity that only exists to champion quality practice. The sector has lost a space that I’ve heard over and over again was so needed, and that in turn enabled the people who interacted with the College to go on and create their own spaces. In these spaces, those who are dedicated to supporting young people came together to think, talk, reflect, learn and ask questions. They had moments of realisation, developed new relationships with each other and with practice, and were part of a cultural shift in the sector. I grieve for the loss of the institution and the vision for young people that created this space.  

But whilst there is much to be mourned, there is also much to celebrate, and a long legacy to protect. Both the College and the Centre for Youth Impact were unique – there were and are no other organisations quite like them. We did things differently and helped people to think differently. We believed (and still believe) deeply in our work, and still feel strongly that our strategic ambitions remain just as relevant as when they were first imagined. The College has a global alumni network, and the Centre for Youth Impact built and nurtured the first Four Nations Impact Network focused on informal and non-formal learning. The breadth and depth of our reach is significant, and we leave behind an extensive library of writing and resources. We worked through relationships, and developed agency, with a desire to grow curious, critical thinking. We genuinely changed the conversation in the sector, and ideas that were once new, or marginal, have now become commonplace. We also laughed a lot, and tried to stay grounded, doing what we felt mattered rather than just what people would fund.  

And now it’s time to pass the baton on. We don’t want to leave our legacy to chance. There are lessons we want to share, and things we want people to know as we think about those who will stand on our shoulders. I’ll continue to work on this, even as the College goes quiet. The youth sector will always need spaces for reflection, and will always need ‘carriers’ of ideas. We’re passing those ideas on now, and hold hope that they will find new spaces in which to flourish.