Luke Lancaster
2011 Youth Winner
United Kingdom

At a glance:

• Luke founded his organization after being bullied at school
• His organization makes it "cool to care" through Youth Training programs
• His message has reached 3,000 youth to date

Luke Lancaster founded his organization, Young Pioneers, at the age of 12 after being continuously bullied at school. Through his experiences, Luke began to notice many others like him, struggling to succeed in life, yet still wanting to make a difference in the world. Inspired to find a solution to the problem, Luke decided to create a youth-led organization whose goal is to “make it cool to care.”

Young Pioneers’ research found that 83% of young people today would rather ask a friend for advice than an adult, parent or teacher. In response, Young Pioneers has created a training program to equip young people with the tools necessary to overcome adversity and lead change. Luke’s international education training program called “Tomorrows Leaders” is identifying and developing young people around the world like himself who want to lead change in their own personal lives, as well as in their schools and their communities. The Young Pioneers network is effectively helping young people be responsible for their own success and is now expanding from the UK into France, Germany, the Netherlands and the US.