5 young people just cycled to Paris, here’s why!
Last Wednesday, 5 young people currently employed at Feel Good, along with a group of Regenerate supporters, set off from Feel Good Southfields, cycling 300km to another iconic landmark – the Eiffel Tower! This was no easy feat, but they all agreed that it’s nothing compared to the barriers and impact that being out of work can have.
In 2025, reports came out that 946,000 young people in the UK are NEET (Not in Employment Education or Training) – an unacceptable number that we’re working towards changing.
This Autumn, we’re so excited to be opening our second brick and mortar coffee shop in Tooting, which will allow us to increase the amount of young people we can train, employ, and mentor, by 40%. But to get it across the line, we need one final push for funding, and with this challenge, these 5 young people decided to help us get there.
This was completely out of their comfort zone, and like nothing they’ve ever done before. But each of these incredible young people are giving back because they believe in creating opportunities for other young people just like them.
Riding a distance like this was one of the most physically challenging things these team members have ever done – pushing through things like the most painful cramp they’d ever felt, which set in on the final 4 miles of day 1, and a load of new experiences that pushed them completely out of their comfort zone. This was a ride of firsts; first time on a ferry, first time in France and first time ever doing a long-distance bike ride for these young people.
It was the most physically demanding thing they’ve ever done, but they did it because they wanted to raise awareness about the barriers and impact being out of work can have. With no experience and the job market more competitive than ever, young people are left feeling disheartened and abandoned, anxious, depressed, and, in the worst cases, pushed into cycles of exploitation and/or crime.
Late on Friday, after a long slog riding over 100km in one day, the team made it to their destination – the Eiffel Tower. They arrived with an inspiring amount of new found confidence, self-belief, and pride that they are changing history for other young people just like them.
Like us, these young people believe in creating opportunities for as many young people as possible, to gain the skills, experience, and wellbeing support they need to thrive.
It’s not too late to donate and be a part of something really special. Over the past two years, our first coffee shop has had a transformational impact on the young people we’ve worked with who come from challenging situations, and we’re incredibly excited to open our second shop and employ more young people on our 12 month program than ever before.
We want to make sure no young person gets left behind. By seeing their potential and giving them an opportunity at Feel Good, we can set them on a path of higher confidence, better mental health, and a range of new employability skills and knowledge to move on and thrive.
By sponsoring our young people, you can help us with this mission, as we look to employ over 70 young people over the next year after the opening of the new shop.
