New Horizon Trust (NHT) is committed to empowering young people in Nottingham by building confidence, leadership capability, and the transferable skills essential for success in modern society.

Across our communities, young people are facing increasing pressures, alongside a clear and widening gap in accessible, high-quality youth provision. At the same time, employers consistently highlight the importance of practical life skills, such as communication, teamwork, resilience, and leadership, in preparing young people for the workplace.

New Horizon Trust exists to bridge this gap with purpose, positivity, and opportunity. Through structured youth programmes and meaningful mentoring relationships, we create real-world experiences where young people can develop these capabilities in environments that are supportive, consistent, and trusted.

Our work is focused particularly on young people from communities that are often underrepresented in professional, civic, and leadership spaces. By providing opportunities for teamwork, mentoring, and leadership development, we help raise aspirations and equip young people with the skills and mindset needed to thrive and contribute positively to society.

We are clear in our approach: New Horizon Trust is not a religious organisation. While many of the young people we engage with are of British Muslim heritage, our programmes are not faith-based and do not include religious teaching. Instead, we are dedicated to delivering inclusive youth development outcomes that transcend identity, fostering confidence, leadership, employability, and active, positive participation in the life of our city.

In recent years, youth services across Nottingham have faced significant decline, further impacted by the financial challenges of Nottingham City Council. Continued reductions in core funding have led to a loss of accessible provision for many young people, particularly those living in economically disadvantaged communities. As a result, many have limited or no opportunities to engage in activities that support essential personal development and life skills. Compared to their peers in other cities across the Midlands, this has created a structural disadvantage for young people in Nottingham, one that we are actively working to address.

We know that young people thrive when they are part of environments where they feel respected, supported and encouraged. In these settings, they build confidence, develop meaningful friendships, explore their interests and begin to create opportunities for themselves. Our organisation is uniquely positioned to provide these experiences because we are deeply rooted in the communities we serve and maintain strong, trusted relationships with young people and their families.

Research in youth development, including findings from the Muslim Youth Futures Report by Goldsmiths and the Youth Futures Foundation, highlights the importance of trusted spaces, positive mentoring relationships and opportunities for young people to take responsibility and develop a sense of ownership. Our experience reflects this evidence. When young people are supported in this way, they demonstrate stronger confidence, improved skills and greater success in education and employment. New Horizon Trust was established to contribute to these outcomes by co-creating accessible programmes that promote teamwork, leadership, responsibility and aspiration.