Our Organisation
Oasis was founded in 1985. Over the past four decades we’ve set up different parts of our organisation to develop expertise and deliver our mission to build stronger communities. We all work together as one movement for change.
The Oasis Movement
In 1985 Oasis Charitable Trust was set up as the umbrella organisation from which all our work has developed. For 40 years, we’ve been pioneering new ways of building community, working together as one movement.
Oasis is led by:
Education
In 2004, we set up a multi-academy trust with the vision to create “Exceptional Education at the heart of the community.” Today, we run 54 local academies across the country with 33,000 students offering integrated community-oriented education so that all young people, regardless of background or life circumstance, can thrive.
Our education work is led by:
Church, Youth and Communities
In 2004, we set up our first community hub— a pioneering and holistic approach to local neighbourhood work offering an eco-system of schools, youth work teams, churches, farms and much more all working together to create communities where everyone can belong, contribute and thrive. Today, we run 23 neighbourhood-based charities and 7 churches across the country.
Our church, youth and communities work is led by:
Youth Justice
In 2024, we launched Oasis Restore. Described as a “revolution in youth justice”, Oasis Restore is the UK’s first ever secure school offering therapeutic education to young people aged 12-18 who are on remand and sentenced to custody by the courts.
Oasis Restore is led by:
Clare Wilson
COO
Dan Hayes
Principal Director
Mark McAllister
BOARD CHAIR
Homelessness
We started providing supported accommodation with the establishment of ‘No.3’ in 1990. In 2014, we set up Oasis Community Housing as a merger with Aquila Housing Association. Today, we are focused on providing holistic, wrap-around support for people facing homelessness through self-contained flats, communal housing, drop-in centres and much more. We work with almost 1,300 people a year in over 150 residences.
Our homelessness work is led by:
Prevention of Human-Trafficking
In 2008, after a two — year campaign, we raised 1.5 million signatures in support of a global declaration against human trafficking. This led to the appointment of Steve Chalke as UN Special Advisor and the formation of STOP THE TRAFFIK, a charity set up by Oasis to end human trafficking worldwide.
Our prevention of human-trafficking work is led by:
Advocacy
In 2022, we hosted a Commission on Young Lives led by Baroness Anne Longfield. In 2024, the Centre for Young Lives was established, a thinktank dedicated to improving the lives of children, young people, and families in the UK, advocating for policy change and a new social contract. The Centre’s focus is on early intervention, empowering vulnerable young people, and addressing systemic issues such as poverty, mental health, and education disparities.
Our advocacy is led by:
Global work
In 1993, we started working in India. Today, Oasis’ global network spreads across seven countries:
