Why HIPPO Backed BREAKOUT

Young people are not the problem. The system is.

A few weeks ago, BREAKOUT didn’t exist publicly. Alongside, our first impact partner HIPPO, we’ve delivered our very first Future Focus programme supporting young people across Greater Manchester to rebuild confidence, access opportunities and believe in themselves again.

BREAKOUT was created from a growing frustration that too many young people are still being failed by systems that were never truly designed with them in mind.

Across education, employment and society more broadly, there are countless young people full of talent, resilience and potential who are slowly being made to feel like opportunity simply isn’t built for people like them.

• There’s young people applying for upwards of 150 jobs to absolutely no avail.

• There’s young people navigating rejection, isolation and uncertainty alone.

• There’s young people slowly losing confidence in themselves despite having huge potential.

And after a while, that starts to have a BIG impact.

In fact, 74% of the young people who joined our first Future Focus cohort started the programme feeling negative or uncertain about their future.

That statistic alone says a lot.

Because the issue clearly isn’t a lack of potential. It’s a lack of access, belief, opportunity and environments that genuinely back young people to succeed.

That’s exactly why BREAKOUT exists.

We’re building something more practical, more human and more connected to the real world - brining young people and employers together in way that actually holds.

And from the very beginning, HIPPO connected deeply to that mission.

“One of the things that stood out immediately with HIPPO was that this never felt performative. They didn’t just want to sponsor something and put their logo against it. There was a genuine desire to collaborate, contribute and actively show up for young people! As a founder, when you’re building something from scratch, you remember the people and organisations who lean in early and genuinely believe in what you’re trying to build. HIPPO were one of those organisations.” - Roman Dibden, Founder of BREAKOUT.

More than sponsorship

From the outset, it was clear this wasn’t going to be a transactional partnership or simply a logo on a slide deck.

HIPPO didn’t just fund the programme and stand back. They actively helped shape it.

Before delivery had even begun, teams from both organisations were already working closely together to design the experience we wanted young people to have, thinking carefully about how to make the programme practical, supportive, engaging and genuinely connected to the real world.

In total, 16 HIPPO staff members volunteered their time across the programme, supporting workshops, mentoring conversations and employer engagement activities throughout the three days.

And the impact went both ways…

100% of the HIPPO volunteers involved said they would support BREAKOUT again in the future, with several offering ongoing mentoring and support to young people beyond the programme itself.

One of the most powerful parts of the programme was seeing the visible shift in confidence across the cohort.

Young people who arrived nervous, uncertain and unsure of where they fit slowly began stepping into conversations, sharing ideas and backing themselves.

For many of the young people involved, this was also the first time they’d had open and honest conversations with professionals about confidence, setbacks, career journeys and what the world of work actually looks like in practice.

Those conversations mattered enormously.

Not because they solved everything overnight, but because they helped young people start seeing new possibilities for themselves.

As Holly Onstenk, ESG & Social Value Lead at HIPPO reflected after the programme:

What stood out most was the shift in confidence and mindset across the cohort. One young person arrived on day one feeling unable to speak in front of the wider group. By day three, he was the first person volunteering to present. Seeing young people feel genuinely backed by employers, mentors and professionals reinforced just how important relational support and long-term encouragement really are. Young people aren’t lacking potential. Often, they just need environments that help them believe in themselves again.

Alongside programme delivery, HIPPO also donated 12 laptops to help remove practical barriers for young people and support progression beyond the initial cohort. That’s what’s meaningful employer engagement looks like in practice. Not simply talking about social value but actively investing time, relationships, energy and opportunity into young people and their futures.

Building something bigger

The partnership hasn’t ended now the programme is complete. Following the success of the first cohort, HIPPO have already committed to funding a second Future Focus programme later this year as part of their wider social value commitments and continued investment into young people and opportunity.

That continued support matters.

Not just financially, but because it reflects a genuine belief that young people deserve more than short-term interventions and performative conversations around opportunity.

For BREAKOUT, partnerships like this are about much more than sponsorship alone.

They’re about building an ecosystem around young people bringing together employers, mentors, professionals and communities willing to actively help remove barriers, open doors and create opportunities that might otherwise feel out of reach.

And in a world where social value can sometimes become little more than a statement in a tender document, HIPPO have shown what meaningful employer engagement can actively look like in practice.

This is only the beginning

A few months ago, BREAKOUT was simply an idea.

Today, we’ve delivered our first cohort, launched our first fundraising campaign, built partnerships with employers and started building a growing community of people who believe young people deserve better.

But this is only the beginning.

Because there are still too many young people with huge potential still waiting for somebody to genuinely believe in them.

Hopefully this partnership between BREAKOUT and HIPPO becomes an example of what’s possible when organisations move beyond good intentions and actively invest in young people, relationships and opportunity.

Because when young people feel seen, supported and connected to real opportunity - the potential really is endless.