Rethinking work for 13–15 year olds in London.
A half-day public conversation about when teen work helps, when it harms, and what good practice actually looks like. We'll also be launching Second Corner, a platform that helps identify safe, paid, age-appropriate work and mentoring for 13–16 year olds.
Purpose
The symposium launches Second Corner alongside a public conversation about teen work in the UK. The day leaves attendees with a shared view of when work helps a 13–15 year old develop, when it harms, and what good practice looks like.
It also lands at a moment. The Milburn review has put NEETs — over a million 16–24 year olds out of work and education, costing the UK an estimated £125bn a year — back at the centre of national debate. Second Corner believes the earliest steps onto the work ladder happen at 13–15 — and that's exactly where opportunity is scarce. The symposium is a constructive response to that moment.
Second Corner is a platform designed to create safe, vetted and meaningful paid work opportunities for young people aged 13–15 across the UK.
The project was born from research with young people and grassroots organisations in Southwark and Lambeth, where one message came through consistently: many young people want to earn money and gain experience before the age of 16, but there are very few safe, structured opportunities available to them.
Audience
More to be coming soon. All speakers will be announced.
Agenda
A short opening frame from the founders. Why teen work, why now: the Milburn review put NEETs — over a million 16–24 year olds out of work and education, costing the UK an estimated £125bn a year — at the centre of national debate. We argue that 13–15 is where the entry-level ladder actually begins, and where the country has stopped building rungs. This sets up the day.
We start with young people. What they're already doing for money, what they wish existed, and what 'safe paid work' should actually look like from their side.
The current legal framework for under-16 work, the risk taxonomy and what good safeguarding actually looks like in practice.
This panel brings together organisations that can influence real change, exploring how employers, housing associations, schools, local authorities and community organisations can work together to create meaningful opportunities before young people reach the age of 16.
Why attend
Help us shape the room
Know someone whose voice belongs in this conversation — a researcher, practitioner, employer, young person, policymaker? Tell us who and why.