We give young people the tools to drive real change.
Children’s voices are at the heart of everything we do. Railway Children empowers vulnerable young people to speak out about the issues they face, help shape our support work and lead meaningful change in their communities.
Date: 11th April 2025 | Author: Con Enzler
At Railway Children, we work in a variety of ways to protect children at risk of abuse and exploitation.
But real, long-lasting change is about more than just immediate intervention.
We believe young people have the power to change their lives, their communities and in turn, the world. And they’re best placed to help inform how we can support them.
So across India, Tanzania and the UK, we run a range of initiatives giving young people the tools they need to transform their lives and help others do the same.
In Tanzania, young people are leading positive, sustainable change through our Youth Association groups.
Our youth workers equip members with life skills, leadership skills and citizenship education, empowering them to collaborate on a range of social projects.
At the core, these groups are support networks where members can lean on each other and inspire one another to transform their lives for the better. Many go on to make a real difference, as members speak out about the issues affecting their communities and take positive action.
Over the last decade, we’ve supported 87 Youth Association groups, helping thousands of young people become self-reliant, valued members of their communities.
One group of 15 young people led a civil engagement project, where they collected and analysed issues raised by members of the community and brought them to the police.
Thanks to these incredible young people, the police force dedicated a team of officers to work alongside the community and address their concerns.
In the UK, we work closely with young people to make sure our support approaches are accessible, engaging and match their needs.
Through our Youth Participation Programme, we use young people’s lived experience to shape our support work and make transport networks safer for children.
Our Youth Participation forums are a safe space for young people from our support programmes to share their stories and help us make a difference.
So far, they’ve helped redesign British Transport Police’s crisis packs, helped us design our welcome packs for young people entering our service and developed our Youth Platform.
Recently, young people helped us develop our Mystery Shopper project to recommend ways to make train stations and rail networks safer and more youth friendly.
Some members go on to become Youth Ambassadors, with the power to further take ownership and influence our work. They receive training, have the opportunity to sit on British Transport Police scrutiny panels, participate in our Safeguarding Action Groups and take part in networking and public speaking opportunities.
One of our Youth Ambassadors recently gave a speech at the launch of our new Glasgow project about his experience with us. It was a resounding success – senior rail industry representatives were very impressed, and we couldn’t be prouder!
In Delhi, our outreach workers meet children every day on the railway platforms who come from slum communities alongside the tracks. Few of the children attend school – many of the girls take care of the home while boys get drawn into child labour.
One group of girls decided to take their future into their own hands. They call themselves: The Power Girls.
These incredible teen girls meet every month at our Child Activity Centre in the Tulsi Nagar slum community in Delhi to discuss issues affecting the children in their communities and exchange aspirations.
Our activity centres offer classes in self-awareness, leadership, and life skills to vulnerable children, so they can develop life-skills and express themselves.
Together, The Power Girls raise awareness about issues like child marriage and empower other girls to learn more about themselves and work toward their dreams.
Ria*, one of the Power Girls, has become a bold leader with the confidence to educate others so that more children like her get the chance to transform their lives.
*Names changed and models used to protect identities.
Through our flagship youth participation programme, Youth Platform, young people are shaping our training materials, influencing key decisions and ensuring the rail industry truly understand youth vulnerability.
More than 25 million Tanzanians are living in extreme poverty, leaving many young women and girls vulnerable to hunger, family breakdown, and abuse.
Since launching in 2018, Railway Children’s Night at the Station has raised more than £880,000 to reach and protect some of the world’s most vulnerable children. This year, the charity is aiming to surpass the £1m mark – and is calling on the rail community and individual supporters to help reach the target.
As the UK marks Neurodiversity Week (16th – 20th March), we reflect on the unique strengths different minds bring to Railway Children, the rich potential of the neurodivergent young people we support and why we’ve established a Neurodiversity Working Group to ensure every kind of mind can thrive.
In India, Railway Children is reaching some of the most vulnerable young people through a powerful and proven approach: peer leadership.
Read our guide to claiming your compensation and learn how to easily donate it to vulnerable children.
