A partnership co-created with young people, and supporting their mental health and opportunities

Driving youth engagement through insight-led strategy, innovation and co-creation.

Challenge

Barnardo's secured a £5 million strategic partnership with Co-op, focused on improving the wellbeing of children and young people across three critical areas: food and cost of living, mental health, and youth opportunities. The ambition was to reach 750,000 young people with meaningful support and create a highly visible, values-led campaign that felt authentic and youth-driven. I was brought in to shape the strategic marketing and content approach and ensure youth voice, innovation and inclusivity sat at its core.

Approach

As part of the strategic steering group, I led the content and engagement strategy across paid, owned and earned channels. I developed the roadmap and user journeys, working closely with Co-op leaders, internal stakeholders, and our Youth Advisory Group to ensure all outputs were co-created and insight-led. I facilitated joint planning workshops, established co-creation principles now embedded in our wider strategy, and used the opportunity to pilot and successfully launch Barnardo's TikTok channel, a bold move to engage underserved younger audiences through relatable, short-form content.

Working across teams, I introduced interactive formats, micro-influencer testing, and early-stage campaign trials on Instagram and TikTok. I also supported cross-functional alignment between creative, policy, fundraising and service delivery teams to maintain focus on shared goals and measurable outcomes. Finally, I developed a separate approach to engaging parents of 10-12-year-old children with animated content.

Impact

Within 18 months of launch, the partnership generated £3 million to support vulnerable communities across the UK. We engaged over 750,000 young people across the three thematic areas. The TikTok channel, co-designed with young people, launched with strong early engagement, and our collaborative approach created greater internal clarity and excitement around Barnardo's evolving brand voice. This project showcases my ability to influence decision-makers, build strong partnerships, and deliver large-scale, inclusive campaigns grounded in real insight.