Young people thrive when they are given the opportunity to contribute to something bigger than themselves
Local Heroes helps organisations create meaningful opportunities for young people to:
Develop confidence and leadership skills
Take ownership of real projects
Connect with different generations
Strengthen community relationships
Preserve stories that might otherwise be lost
Create something that benefits others
Local Heroes brings these priorities together through one structured, practical programme.
Designed to work for a wide range of community youth organisations
Flexible Delivery
Integrate the programme seamlessly as a short project, a longer term block or alongside your existing youth awards and challenges.
Leadership Through Action
Give young people real responsibility to manage group research, conduct filmed interviews and take full ownership of their project.
Meaningful Service
Provide authentic opportunities for participants to serve their local area, connect generations and create lasting community value.
Fully Supported
Deliver with confidence using guided volunteer resources, step-by-step training tools and secure consent workflows. No tech expertise required.
Local Heroes is supported & run by UK-based experts
Both our programme & digital archive platform are guided by experienced educators, storytellers and archivists
Local Heroes has been developed by education specialists and the team behind Legasee, home to the UK's largest archive of veteran interviews. Combining proven storytelling expertise with a purpose-built digital platform, Local Heroes helps organisations create lasting archives that preserve local stories for future generations.
Discover how we help deliver on your service and development goals
Rather than addressing essential life skills through isolated activities, here is why Local Heroes is the most effective way to help young people build them through genuine action and real-world outcomes.
Leadership & Teamwork
Empower active young citizens. Participants take real ownership of group projects, building valuable communication skills and practical confidence beyond their peer group.
Strengthening Connections
Build genuine intergenerational respect. Help young people develop deep empathy, awareness and belonging by connecting with local residents across different backgrounds.
Service & Legacy
Drive visible community impact. Give your group a powerful sense of purpose by recording and preserving meaningful local stories that might otherwise be lost forever.
How We Work ...participant-led and leader-supported
The programme is designed to give young people maximum ownership while keeping your leaders firmly in control. You facilitate the environment while they take responsibility for the outcomes
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Access Your Guided Resources
Get everything you need to launch a purposeful community project without creating extra planning hours for your volunteer team.
Ready-to-Go Frameworks
Downloadable activity plans, youth briefs and clear session objectives.
Safe & Secure
Practical templates for risk assessments, safeguarding checklists and publication consent.
Flexible Integration
Map the project easily to badges, community service goals or local group awards.
Delegate & Research
Participants step up into collaborative, structured roles to identify their local hero and prepare for the engagement.
Inclusive Teamwork
Young people choose rewarding roles matching their strengths, like Writers, Interviewers, Film Crew or Curators.
Critical Enquiry
Teams learn how to investigate local history, verify details and write professional, probing interview questions.
Outreach Skills
Participants practice real-world communication by reaching out to local residents and scheduling the interview.
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Capture the Community Story
Bring the learning to life by inviting your local hero in for a real, filmed conversation.
Youth-Led Production
Young people take full control of the interview floor, managing the equipment, guest and dialogue.
Active Listening
Interviewers learn to think on their feet, listen deeply and adapt their questions in real-time.
Leader-Moderated
Volunteers oversee the environment, ensuring the experience stays safe, respectful and rewarding for everyone.
Build your Digital Legacy
Participants process their work into a permanent community legacy, learning the true value of digital responsibility.
Responsible Creation
Teams review their footage, carefully considering accuracy, consent and storytelling impact.
Your Bespoke Archive
Groups upload profiles to a secure, co-branded digital time capsule dedicated to your organisation.
Secure Moderation
Nothing goes live without your sign-off. Admin leaders review and approve all profiles before publication.
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Develop & maintain a lasting legacy for your local community
Your young people will gain hands-on experience managing their own digital archive
Every interview, story and project contributes to a growing digital archive that celebrates the people, experiences and memories that shape your local community.
Unlike a display board or one-off event, Local Heroes creates something that can be revisited, expanded and shared for years to come. Created by participants, shared with others and preserved for future generations, it provides a lasting record of the conversations, memories and experiences that might otherwise be lost.
Celebrate the people who make your community unique
Capture and preserve stories for future generations
Strengthen connections between people and communities
Build a growing archive that can be revisited and expanded over time
Applications for our 2026 Early Adopter Cohort are now open!
Are you a Primary, Secondary School or Community Youth Organisation? Join the Local Heroes network and help young people discover and capture the extraordinary stories around them!
