Canongate Youth

Name

Canongate Youth

Legal name

Canongate Youth

Website

https://canongateyouth.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth and Community Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ), Volunteerism, Service-Learning & Community Service (EDALAHAG)

Keywords

• Youth work services
• Children's wellbeing support
• Community youth programmes
• Mentoring and counselling
• Charity youth clubs

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Funding: As a registered Scottish charity (SC SCO00600), Canongate Youth is reliant on external funding to deliver services. The organization has mentioned facing financial challenges and has made strategic changes to secure its future.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Canongate Youth is a Scottish charity that provides youth work and wellbeing support services to children and young people aged 5-18 in Edinburgh. Services include recreational and educational youth work, emotional wellbeing support, mentoring, counselling, group work, befriending, and youth clubs (such as the Bananas Club for P1-P3 children). All services are delivered free of charge and funded through donations and grants.

Product overview

Canongate Youth operates as a single unified youth charity offering multiple interconnected programmes and services. The core services include Youth Work (recreational and educational activities) and Wellbeing Support (emotional support for ages 5-18). These are delivered through structured programmes including Youth Clubs (with Bananas Club for primary school children), the Time to Talk Project for talking therapies, a Youth Volunteer Programme, Individual Support services, Emergency Department Youth Work, and the Pride Youth Space event. All services support the charity's mission of helping children and young people aged 5-18 in Edinburgh thrive in safe and supportive spaces since 1977.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Time to Talk Project: Youth wellbeing and talking support initiative
• Youth Volunteer Programme
• Youth Clubs
• Pride Youth Space

Products and services

• Youth Work Engaging young people through recreational and educational activities, delivered as a core in-person service of the charity for children and young people aged 5-18 in Edinburgh.
• Wellbeing Support Providing emotional support for children and young people aged 5-18, including mentoring, counselling, group work, and befriending services.
• Youth Clubs Regular club activities including the Bananas Club for P1-P3 children, offering opportunities for fun, friendship, and engagement.
• Time to Talk Project A project providing talking and emotional support services to young people, focused on emotional wellbeing and talking therapies.
• Youth Volunteer Programme Volunteer programme engaging young people in giving back to their community through structured volunteering opportunities.
• Individual Support One-on-one support services for children and young people aged 5-18, providing tailored individual support.
• Pride Youth Space Annual event celebrating inclusion and creativity, welcoming over 900 attendees in 2025, supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion among young people.
• Emergency Department Youth Work Youth work services delivered in hospital emergency departments, providing support to young people in healthcare settings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported 463 young people with over 2,000 hours of targeted youth work in a single year
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Hospital Emergency DepartmentsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Delivered youth work in emergency departments, providing support to young people in healthcare settings.
• Whole Family Wellbeing FundingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity-wide partnership launched through Whole Family Wellbeing Funding to provide comprehensive family and youth support services across Edinburgh.
• APCCT FrameworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined the APCCT Framework to strengthen therapeutic services, enhancing the organization's capacity to deliver mental health and counselling support to young people.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Rock Trust: Edinburgh-based charity preventing youth homelessness through housing, education, and one-to-one support. Directly comparable in Edinburgh operating geography and vulnerable-youth support model, though with a more specialised homelessness focus.

Direct peers

• Youth Scotland: National umbrella and youth work organisation supporting youth clubs and uniformed groups across Scotland. Directly comparable as a Scottish youth work organisation with overlapping beneficiary demographic and community-led delivery model.
• Aberlour: Scottish children's charity delivering residential care, family support, mentoring, and early-years services across Scotland. Closely comparable in mission, beneficiary age range, and Scottish operating geography, with similar reliance on statutory and grant funding.
• Children 1st: Scotland's national children's charity, delivering counselling, family support, and youth work services across the country. Directly comparable as a registered Scottish charity providing emotional support and wellbeing services to children and young people, with overlapping therapeutic and Whole Family Wellbeing-style offerings.
• Venture Scotland: Scottish charity providing long-term mentoring and outdoor-based youth development programmes for vulnerable young people aged 8–25. Closely comparable in mentoring model, beneficiary age overlap, and Scottish operating geography.

Broad incumbents

• The Prince's Trust: Major UK youth development charity focused on employability, education, and personal development for 11–30 year olds. Comparable in mission and youth-segment focus, though operating at national scale with a different primary lens (employment rather than wellbeing/mentoring).
• Barnardo's Scotland: The largest UK children's charity, operating extensively in Scotland with services spanning fostering, mentoring, mental health, and youth work. A broad incumbent offering overlapping youth development and wellbeing programmes, but at significantly greater national scale.

Emerging players

• Fast Forward Positive LGBT Youth: Edinburgh-based charity supporting the wellbeing of LGBT young people through youth work and one-to-one support. Comparable as a community-led Edinburgh youth organisation; overlaps directly with the Pride Youth Space event programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canongate-youth

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Canongate Youth