Statutory Deputy Mayor of London, Joanne McCartney, last week joined us at the Cambridge House office to celebrate the continued progress of RISE, Cambridge House’s award-winning youth support service.
The Mayor of London, through the Propel initiative – a funding collaboration between London-focused organisations – has been a key funding partner of RISE, helping to transform young Londoners lives through long-term 1:1 mentoring, group workshops and crisis navigation support.
The Deputy Mayor was joined by Aisling Gilgeours, Senior Project Officer at the New Deal for Young People Team, a Greater London Authority (GLA) initiative. They heard presentations from RISE staff members on the journey and ongoing vision of the service, as well as an at length discussion with RISE alumni and its Youth Advisory Board on the value the programme has brought to them individually, and on the wider provision of youth and support services.
RISE supports young people aged 16 to 24 years old living in Southwark and neighbouring boroughs, providing a safe space for participants to empower them to tackle the problems they face and realise their ambitions.
A recent survey of the RISE service users showed that all participants had improved and positive peer relationships, 87 percent had improved self-esteem, and 80 percent had improved mental health.
The Cambridge House Youth Empowerment Programme began in 2012, with RISE being launched in 2018. Between 2023 and 2025, the service experienced significant growth, made possible through continued funding from the Mayor of London and Propel, and the strong leadership of Youth Empowerment Manager, Punarwasu Kapgate.
During this period, the team expanded from two to ten staff members, enabling us to increase our reach from 20 to over 100 young people per year — a reflection of both the growing demand for the service and its evolving capacity to meet increasingly complex needs.
Rachel Zipfel, Head of Service at Rise, said:
“Young people in London face vast personal difficulties and socio-economic barriers. But that shouldn’t, and doesn’t, mean that their potential is shackled. Youth services like RISE exist to relinquish those burdens and give young people the time and space to connect with themselves and each other, enabling them to fulfil their ambitions and live happier, healthy lives.
“We are immensely grateful for Joanne and Aisling’s presence and Propel’s continued funding, and with it we can continue the brilliant work by our young people and the supporting staff team.”
