Key Points
- A team of students from JFS and the City of London School emerged as the winners of the YSE Launch final competition.
- The competition was held at King’s College London’s Entrepreneurship Institute on Sunday, 12 July.
- The winning project, titled “Play It Forward,” aims to combat youth inactivity in the London borough of Brent through peer-led, low-cost sports sessions.
- The student team—comprising Yoav Oshman, Kaylah Bailey, Noam Greenaway, Maya Gorijan, and Leo Mass—secured up to £3,000 in seed funding to support their initiative.
- The final pitch featured five finalist teams presenting social enterprise ideas to a panel of expert judges, including representatives from King’s College London, The National Lottery Community Fund, and the Anne Frank Trust.
London (Extra London News) July 17, 2026 – A collaborative team of Year 12 students from JFS and the City of London School has been crowned the winner of the Young Social Enterprise (YSE) Launch final, an event designed to champion youth-led solutions to community challenges. The students were awarded the top prize for their innovative project, “Play It Forward,” which seeks to improve physical health and engagement among young people in Brent.
The final pitch event, which took place on Sunday, 12 July, at the King’s College London Entrepreneurship Institute, marked the culmination of months of work. As reported by Michelle Rosenberg for Jewish News, the competition brought together educators, community leaders, and supporters to witness how young entrepreneurs are addressing local societal issues.
Who were the members of the winning team?
The successful team, consisting of Yoav Oshman, Kaylah Bailey, Noam Greenaway, Maya Gorijan, and Leo Mass, impressed the judging panel with their commitment to tackling youth inactivity. Their initiative, “Play It Forward,” is designed as a sustainable and accessible model for exercise, focusing on low-cost, peer-led sports activities.
According to the details provided by Jewish News, the project structure involves hosting weekly one-hour sports sessions organised in 12-week term blocks. Beyond simple physical exercise, the initiative incorporates a passport-style reward system, allowing participants to work toward Bronze, Silver, and Gold milestones, ultimately culminating in a community-wide Sports Day to celebrate their progress.
What funding did the winners receive?
By winning the YSE Launch competition, the team secured up to £3,000 in seed funding. This capital is intended to provide the necessary resources to transition the “Play It Forward” concept from a pitch proposal into a functional project within the Brent community. The seed money will help cover the costs associated with the recurring weekly sessions and the incentive-based reward programme.
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Who sat on the judging panel?
The competition’s integrity and rigour were maintained by a panel of expert judges, each bringing a wealth of experience in social, political, and entrepreneurial sectors. The panel included:
- Dr Yotam Levy, representing King’s College London’s Entrepreneurship Institute.
- Natalie Deller, from The National Lottery Community Fund.
- Rebecca Filer, a Camden Councillor.
- Lauren Keiles, a Camden Councillor and Director at the Anne Frank Trust.
These judges were responsible for evaluating the feasibility, social impact, and innovation of the ideas presented by the five finalist teams that reached the concluding stage of the competition.
Why is the YSE Launch programme significant?
The YSE Launch programme acts as an incubator for young talent, encouraging students to identify genuine problems within their local neighbourhoods and engineer business-minded solutions. Throughout the months leading up to the final, participants from across London have been refining their pitches, testing their business models, and developing the interpersonal skills necessary to lead social change.
The initiative is part of a broader landscape of youth social enterprise in the UK, where young people are increasingly encouraged to view entrepreneurship not merely as a path to profit, but as a vehicle for positive social transformation. By providing mentorship and financial backing, programmes like the YSE Launch aim to ensure that these student-led projects are not just theoretical exercises, but tangible contributions to the communities they serve.
As noted in the reporting by Jewish News, the success of the JFS and City of London students highlights a growing trend of young people taking proactive steps to improve public health and social cohesion. With the seed funding now secured, the team behind “Play It Forward” is expected to begin the implementation phase of their project, setting a precedent for other young social entrepreneurs to follow in future years.
