A year ago, a new Oasis initiative opened its doors in south London. Initially ‘just’ a large empty school, fast forward twelve months and the site is packed with everything from photography studios to a food bank. Welcome to Oasis St Martin’s Village!
When a historic school for girls in south London closed in 2024 – hit by changing demographics and falling school rolls across the borough – Oasis was offered the opportunity to take on the school site, to continue the legacy of providing for young people in the area. Over the past year the Oasis ‘Village’ has emerged – a community of grassroots organisations, businesses, local charities, and local people all committed to the wellbeing and life chances of young people, particularly where they are at increased risk of exploitation and exclusion.
While the buildings and grounds still bear the hallmarks their educational history (including a gym complete with ropes and wall bars!) – the site is also transformed! The Lambeth and Croydon Food Bank (run by Oasis Waterloo) now occupy the old Design and Technology block – turning it into a bustling food warehouse. The school canteen has become the Village Hall – with food and company available through the day – and the kitchen is used to deliver Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food training for young people interested in catering and nutrition.
The sports hall and outdoor pitches are busy with football training – run by Premier League side Crystal Palace’s ‘Palace for Life’ foundation, as well as Girls United and local side Tulse Hill Juniors. The former art rooms are home to youth organisation Rekindle. The old music block now hosts free instrument tuition, exam mentoring, and music production through Symphony. Young Creators UK – a youth-led creative agency – are offering film making and photography skills and paid employment opportunities. Youth charities Spiral Skills and I AM IN ME are providing training, career support, mentoring and more.
The list of partners goes on … and it will continue to grow! Plans are well advanced for the Oasis Nurture School to open in 2026 – providing alternative education pathways for young people, working together with their existing school setting but giving them time out and a different learning environment. There are plans for support services for parents and carers (alongside the food bank) in partnership with local GPs. Through the autumn, building work will start on a new farm area – with animal care, food growing, and opportunity for ‘forest school’ sessions.
Village meetings
At the heart of all this activity is the Monday morning ‘village meeting’ – when all the Village partners come together to start the week. The vision for Oasis St Martin’s Village is all about partnership. Oasis has delivered place-based community development and wraparound holistic, family and youth support, integrated with education, for more than 20 years! We work around the country in ‘parishes’ – Oasis hubs – building relationship and opportunities across whole neighbourhoods. The Village model takes that same DNA and applies it to this new opportunity – sharing the resource of a large neighbourhood asset with the local community and bringing dozens of local partners together to create something that is more than the sum of its parts.
So often, local organisations and charities are inadvertently pitted in competition with each other for space, funding, connections, and opportunity. The Village works because everyone is quite literally coming together under one roof – and focusing together on how to deliver the most and the best for young people and their families. The Village infrastructure is designed around mutual thriving – cooperation and common ownership replace competition.
A royal visit
This partnership approach was in evidence in September when HRH the Prince of Wales came to visit Village partner Spiral Skills – a charity dedicated to providing work experience and employability skills for young people. Rather than being shown around Spiral Skills work alone – Prince William received a tour of the whole Village, including performances from Symphony students, and demos from the Young Creators UK team. The young people the Prince met were benefiting from being part of this whole ecosystem of support and opportunity.
^Photo Credit: The Royal Foundation
Jaden’s story
Jaden first connected with Oasis St Martins Village through a friend who attended the Oasis Hope Hack event last December, which brought young people from across London together to share their thoughts about community and policing with local decision-makers.
At the Village, Jaden has been able to unleash his creative and entrepreneurial spirit! In collaboration with Young Creators UK, he has hosted his own fashion show, showcasing his skills, bringing people together, and giving back to the community.
“The fashion show was extremely community-driven,” says Jaden. “I wanted to show that you can make it as a student or independent designer. I wanted to bring as many people together as possible to express themselves and show off what they can do.”
Expecting around 50 attendees, the event drew nearly 300 people. “It was an amazing experience,” Jaden says. “Oasis St Martins Village has given me a space to grow. I’ve felt supported here, and with YCUK, they want to see young people thrive. We’re all trying to come together as one amazing unit.”
Since then, Jaden has continued to engage in other events and develop his brand. He hopes to pursue fashion and grow his creative business while also giving back to his community. “I’ve learned a lot since being part of Oasis St Martins Village. There is something about growing community that I’m attracted to. It’s prevalent here at YCUK and within the Village more widely.”
JP’s story
JP was referred to Oasis St Martin’s Village during a deeply challenging time in his life, marked by an unstable home environment, the heavy responsibility of being a child carer, and the unresolved grief of losing his father. Withdrawn and unmotivated, he struggled to complete his personal statement or apply to university.
Through weekly mentoring sessions with I AM IN ME – an Oasis Village partner specialising in supporting children at risk – delivered in partnership with his school, JP found a safe and consistent space to open up and begin healing.
Over the term, JP’s confidence grew steadily. He wrote and submitted his personal statement, applied to four universities, and received three conditional offers. Even after mentoring ended, the resilience he developed has continued to grow. He is more socially active, less isolated, and increasingly able to advocate for himself and make decisions that support his wellbeing—despite ongoing challenges at home.
“At the heart of every young person’s transformation is the right environment, consistent support, and a safe space to grow,” says Sasha Gay Smith, I AM IN ME Founder and CEO. That’s what Oasis St Martin’s Village is already proving to be!
“Oasis St Martins Village has given me a space to grow. I’ve felt supported here.”
Jaden
Looking to the future
We hope Oasis St Martin’s will be the first of many Oasis Villages around the country. In fact, we are pledging to open five Villages by the end of this parliament, to serve as a scalable response to the government’s ambition to launch Young Futures Hubs. Our next Oasis Village is already in the planning stages, working in partnership with the local authority on the Wirral. What’s more, we hope to take the model and framework we’ve designed and piloted and offer it to government and to other charities to run with as well – so that the concept can multiply around the country.
In what’s been created already at Oasis St Martins Village (even just 12 months in) it’s clear how redundant public assets (empty schools and other public buildings) can be repurposed to address pressing inequalities, reduce barriers to education, and create access to healthcare, wellbeing, and skills for vulnerable, excluded, and persistently absent children and young people.
Our ‘why’ for this model is the same as it ever is: to ensure that there is no one left out. No child left behind, given up on, or excluded from opportunity. Our vision is that Oasis Villages will be places for children and young people to recognise their worth, raise their aspirations, set ambitious goals, unlock their potential, and build the confidence and skills they need for lifelong success. They say ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. It’s time to put the wisdom of this important proverb into action!
