Connecting for Change: celebrating the launch of our Long-Term Impact Report

On Thursday 16 April 2026, The Kids Network brought together mentors, funders, partners and supporters to mark the launch of Connecting for Change, our Long-Term Impact Report, independently evaluated by ImpactEd. It was an evening that reminded us, and everyone in the room, exactly why this work matters.

We were proud to bring together our community for what turned out to be a genuinely special evening. The room was full of people who have believed in The Kids Network across our nine years, former mentors, longstanding funders, partner organisations and supporters, all coming together to hear about the lasting difference their commitment has made to the children of London.

The event was a celebration of everything this programme has achieved: connection, community, and the evidence that one trusted relationship, at the right moment in a child's life, creates change that endures.

Highlights from the evening

We started our evening with a reflection from Naa, one of our very first mentors, whose journey with The Kids Network has come full circle. From mentor to trustee, Naa has helped shape how we design and deliver our programme today, and witnessed it grow from supporting ten children to the hundreds we work with every year.  

We were pleased to host a panel conversation with five former mentors: Aimee, Ha, Gabriel, Khaos and Tyrone and chaired by Naa. Each came to mentoring for different reasons and brought a different perspective. But what they shared was striking: every one of them spoke to the lasting impact their time had had, not only on the child they mentored, but on themselves.

Their honesty and generosity in sharing those experiences was something no report could replicate. We are deeply grateful to all of them.  

What they had in common was the impact their time had had on their mentee. And on themselves.

What the evaluation found

At the heart of the evening were the findings of our Long-Term Impact Report, produced by independent external evaluator ImpactEd. The evaluation spoke to former mentees, some of them years after completing the programme, to understand what had stayed with them.

The findings are clear and, we believe, significant for anyone working in children's policy and early intervention.

The effects last. Children do not just improve during the programme. Their capacity for agency, for setting goals, taking risks and persisting through difficulty, keeps growing after we step back. The mentor's encouragement becomes part of how the child talks to themselves.

Why early intervention matters

We work with children aged 8 to 11, before difficulties escalate and before the transition to secondary school. The evidence shows that support at this formative stage builds protective capacities that stay with children into adolescence and beyond. Intervening early is not just kinder. It is more effective.

At a time of shrinking services and rising need, we believe the case for sustained investment in early, relational, child-led intervention has never been stronger. We hope this evaluation contributes to that conversation.  

Our thanks

An evening like this is only possible because of the community that has grown around The Kids Network. We want to thank everyone who played a part.  

ImpactEd, for conducting the evaluation with care and rigour, and for giving us the evidence we need to make the case for bringing our programme to more children.

The Quintessentially Foundation, whose generous support funded both the evaluation and our work over the last five years.

Our funders, partners and supporters, who have believed in us for years. Your commitment does not just help a child through a difficult year. It gives them tools, confidence and an inner voice that stays with them for the rest of their life.

Our team, small but mighty, whose dedication ensures that every child who comes to us has the best possible experience, and that as many children who need a mentor have one.

Our volunteer mentors, whose time, commitment and genuine desire to make a difference is, as the evaluation makes clear, genuinely life-changing.

And above all, the caregivers and children who agreed to share their stories. They did not have to. They chose to. That generosity is perhaps the most eloquent evidence of all.

[button text="Download Connecting for Change: our Long-Term Impact Report  " url="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6718c52abdc18f00202b7358/69a569b15be1c0ebf7effd60_TKN_Long_Impact_Summary_Report_Feb26.pdf" target="_blank"]

Every child who wants a mentor should have one. If you would like to find out how you can support our work, become a mentor or partner with us, we would love to hear from you.

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