Oh, we’ve got a guest blogger! Introducing: Year Here.

Year Here is not for everyone, it’s gritty and demanding, but also hugely rewarding. It’s a big commitment to make – and we don’t expect anyone to take the decision to apply lightly.

From serving on the frontline in homeless shelters, care homes and community centres to building new social ventures and delivering a grassroots community engagement project, you’ll have multiple opportunities to come up with clever ideas and see them through.

It’s an opportunity to join an ambitious movement of activists and entrepreneurs.

Our mission

We live in a society facing tough social problems – from the isolation of older people to stubbornly persistent social inequalities. These challenges are often highly complex and the solutions seem elusive.

We believe that the answer starts with people.

We connect Year Here fellows with opportunities that help them build an understanding of just how social problems hit the people they hit hardest. Our faculty and partners inspire courageous approaches to change – but crucially, relationships built on the frontline help fellows design solutions that actually work for the people who need them.

As well as driving long-term change through better leadership, we aim for serious impact in the here and now. Year Here brings manpower and innovation to critical public and social services, directly affecting the lives of some of the most marginalised people in London.

Join the cast of characters

Rich Grahame, 2014 Fellow

Rich graduated from Nottingham in 2013 before working in the finance team at Movember. After joining Year Here Rich was based at a Centrepoint hostel in Camden. He is now running Settle, a service helping vulnerable young people move into their first home.

Sneh Jani, 2016 Fellow

Sneh is a former management consultant and has worked with the UN. She graduated from Bristol in 2013. She is now based in the Origin community housing team in Kings Cross where she is designing an innovative scheme to help isolated elderly people with their repairs.

Karisma Desai, 2015 Fellow

Karisma graduated from the University of Oxford in 2015. During the Year Here programme she was supporting vulnerable young people at London YMCA South West. She now works at the award-winning social enterprise Future Frontiers, developing mentoring and coaching programmes for disadvantaged young people across the UK.

Key details

Year Here is a platform for graduates and young professionals. We are open to offers from applicants without degrees. The course is full-time, lasts 9 months and is based in London.

There are no course fees. Unlike a traditional Master’s degree or postgraduate course, we cover your tuition fee. We also offer packages of accommodation and bursaries. Find out more or apply here.