RESHAPING THE SYSTEMS THAT SHAPE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S LIVES
Necessary Trouble is a collective of organisations working together to reshape the systems that shape children and young people's lives.
Too often, organisations are working hard on the same issues from different angles, while the underlying systems that influence children and young people’s lives remain unchanged. We believe that lasting improvements for children and young people require us to work together to tackle root causes, not just symptoms.
We believe our role is to help create the conditions for bolder collective action: listening deeply, trying new ideas, sharing power and turning learning into change.
What is Necessary Trouble?
What makes Necessary Trouble different?
Necessary Trouble is not a formal alliance with a fixed agenda – and we do not have a clear pathway worked out in advance. This is a collective space for people and organisations to test, learn and act together. We are interested in what becomes possible when we abandon the usual ways of working, share power with children and young people, and put courage and imagination at the centre of our pursuit of change.
That means honest, sometimes tough conversations, practical experiments, and collaboration. It also means holding ambition and humility together: knowing that complex systems do not change overnight but believing they can and do change when we consistently refuse to accept less.
Why Necessary
Trouble?
The name Necessary Trouble reflects a hopeful and practical belief that unorthodox approaches yield revolutionary outcomes. Our kind of trouble is not disruption for its own sake – it is the brave, constructive work of challenging old assumptions, making space for new voices and refusing to accept that things must stay as they are. The name is inspired by US Civil Rights leader John Lewis' call to “get in good trouble, necessary trouble”.
The constellation in our brand identity symbolises connection, collective responsibility and shared direction. It reflects the belief at the heart of Necessary Trouble: that meaningful change happens when diverse people and organisations come together, challenge the status quo and work towards a better future for children and young people.
What is
our purpose?
Necessary Trouble is guided
by a shared purpose:
To enable a youth-focused ecosystem together with children and young people, and to design and act toward a future where children and young people experience safety, belonging, joy, learning and healing, grounded in hope, kindness and justice.
To get there, Necessary Trouble focuses on the root causes that sit beneath the challenges children and young people face. We ask what needs to shift in systems, relationships, decisions and resources so that change lasts beyond any one organisation or project.
How we work
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![Two young children, a blonde boy and a girl with curly hair, smiling and leaning on a wooden railing outdoors.]()
Children and young people
We centre their voices, experiences and leadership in the questions we ask and the change we pursue.
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![A young girl with red hair wearing pink sunglasses, smiling, covered in colorful paint with other children participating in a messy outdoor event.]()
Across the ecosystem
We bring together organisations that see different parts of the system and can act in complementary ways.
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![Two young boys standing outdoors in a park or street, with trees and buildings in the background. The older boy has short brown hair and is wearing a green and gray hoodie, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression. The younger boy, partially visible, has brown hair and is wearing a blue shirt with camouflage sleeves, smiling with his teeth showing.]()
Through experimentation
We test ideas, learn as we go and adapt based on what works.
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![Children in a classroom placing colorful foam animal cutouts on a whiteboard.]()
With shared power
We value distributed leadership, openness and collective ownership.
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![Close-up of two children smiling and leaning close together, outdoors]()
For system influence
We turn insight into action that can shape practice, policy and investment.
Where are we now?
YEAR ONE
Necessary Trouble began as a pilot involving organisations across service delivery, philanthropy, advocacy, research and youth-focused practice. Together, the group explored what a more connected, responsive and effective system could look like for children and young people.
YEAR TWO
Now in its second year, with support from the Brian M Davis Foundation, Necessary Trouble is moving from vision to action. We are focussed on testing practical ideas, strengthening collaboration, and building the evidence, relationships and momentum needed to influence systems over time.
Participating organisations
