Words by Smiley Team
Reflecting on his younger years, the co-founder of young people’s organisation Unloc, Hayden Taylor, saw himself as just an “average school kid” from a working-class background. His father was a bricklayer and his mother worked in a school canteen.
At the age of 14, something started holding him back at school, until a conversation with a discerning teacher changed his life.
It was 2010, around the time when youth services were facing severe funding cuts. He was in Year 10 and in class, he was becoming decreasingly focused. It got to the point that his head of year took him to one side one day to ask why he wasn’t engaging with his studies.
The 14-year-old burst into tears and explained the real reason behind his lack of attention. “At the time it felt like social suicide crying in front of a teacher,” Hayden tells Smiley News. But he went on to explain what was bothering him: the youth programme he was helping with had lost its funding.
“That's what felt so soul-destroying - that it was happening on our watch,” he says.
[Read about other incredible individuals collaborating with others to drive positive change]
After the teacher heard what was worrying him, Hayden – along with another student, Ben – were enrolled to lead a two-year programme, campaigning as part of The Council of Portsmouth Students. It was this experience of campaigning and leading change that then inspired the pair to launch Unloc.
Since then, Hayden has dedicated his life to helping young people reach their full potential through Unloc, and drive the positive changes they wish to see in the world via a huge variety of avenues.
“We work to create a platform for young people about to leave school to explore the different ways in which they can be a changemaker, whether that's as an entrepreneur, a leader in their community, as a student voice, through volunteering or as part of their career path,” he explains.
[Get inspired by positive news from Smiley Movement about everyday heroes and groups]
Their work has had incredible transformative impacts on many young people’s lives. One young woman who joined Unloc’s Leadership Academy overcame shyness to pursue her passion for the environment, later becoming the Climate Commissioner for UK Higher and Further Education Students and Leaders.
A young man who joined Unloc’s mental health in the community programme in partnership with a Health Trust was so inspired by the experience that he started running his own wellbeing webinars throughout the lockdowns, teaching other young people basic techniques to cope during that stressful period.
Unloc continues to offer such opportunities to all young people, following an ethos of inclusivity.
Hayden says: “For me, Unloc is about giving every young person, regardless of their background, agency to feel like they can make a difference in the world and that they're not just passive consumers of the world, but they are actively involved in helping shape it.”
Learn more about Unloc and how you can get involved at unloc.org.uk.
