Draft:Urban Synergy

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Urban Synergy is a UK-based youth empowerment and mentoring charity founded in 2007. The organisation aims to inspire, guide, and elevate the career aspirations of 9–24 year olds, particularly those from underrepresented communities.

History and mission

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Urban Synergy was established in South East London to address systemic inequalities and under-representation of Black and minority ethnic young people in professional industries. It has since evolved into a structured early-support mentoring charity, providing role models, career insight events, work experiences and one-to-one mentoring programmes with a focus on social mobility. The organisation works in schools with high levels of free school meals and supports young people from primary school through to early adulthood, helping them build confidence, career skills, and access professional networks.

As of 2024, the charity reported having supported over 32,500 young people through programmes delivered in schools, online, and in partnership with corporate organisations.

Founder

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Urban Synergy was founded by Leila Thomas, a former IT professional at Thomson Reuters, in 2007. While working full-time in the corporate sector, she began mentoring young people in Lewisham, initially informally. Her experience led her to create a structured organisation focused on expanding access to professional role models and opportunities for underrepresented youth.

Thomas has received extensive recognition for her leadership in social mobility, diversity, and youth development. This includes the NBCPA Profile in Courage Award (2021), UK Social Mobility Awards Mentor of the Year (2018), the Prime Minister’s Point of Light (2014), the European Diversity Award (2013), and the Thomson Reuters Global Community Champion award (2011). She has also been recognised with the Business in the Community Race Equality Leadership Award (2010), the Powerlist Black Excellence Community Award (2022), and the Lewisham Mayor's CSR Award (2018).[1]

Thomas was an ITV Black Voice and is a Google Top 10 Black Role Model.

In 2024, Thomas appeared on the FT Adviser Editor’s Podcast, where she described Urban Synergy’s guiding belief that “talent is everywhere; opportunity is not.”[2]. In the same year she was made an honorary Mayoress of Lewisham Council.

Programmes and impact

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Urban Synergy works with a wide range of corporate partners, including Mastercard, Salesforce, and the London Stock Exchange Group. The charity’s programmes include mentoring, career panels, workplace visits, and work experience placements.

Urban Synergy focuses on early-stage support, targeting pupils from Year 5 upwards, with an emphasis on helping young people develop a “growth mindset” and build the social capital needed to succeed in competitive industries.

Recognition and media coverage

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Urban Synergy has been featured in national and local media. In 2024 and 2025, the charity appeared in several editions of FT Adviser, including:

  • A podcast interview with Leila Thomas on systemic inequality and mentoring;[2]
  • A letter to the editor responding to the Parker Review on boardroom diversity;[3]
  • An opinion article on how U.S. anti-DEI trends are influencing UK youth opportunity.[4]

In 2020, The Voice published a profile on the charity during the COVID-19 pandemic, describing Urban Synergy as “nationally recognised” and in urgent need of support.[5]

Parade and public engagement

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In January 2025, Urban Synergy represented the London Borough of Lewisham at the London New Year’s Day Parade (LNYDP) as the Mayor’s official charity. The charity’s float, themed around opportunity and representation, won first prize in the borough category. The victory was covered in local media, including South London Press and London News Online.[6][7]

Awards

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Urban Synergy and its founder, Leila Thomas, have received multiple awards over the years in recognition of their contributions to youth empowerment, diversity, and community impact:

  • 2010 – Business in the Community Race Equality Leadership Award, awarded to Leila Thomas for leadership in promoting racial equity in the workplace.[1]
  • 2011 – Thomson Reuters Global Community Champion, recognising Leila Thomas’s volunteer leadership and social impact initiatives while employed in the private sector.[1]
  • 2013 – European Diversity Award for contributions to inclusion and representation in business and community spheres.[1]
  • 2014 – Leila Thomas was named a UK Prime Minister’s Point of Light honouree for her outstanding voluntary service supporting young people.[1]
  • 2018 – Leila Thomas received the Mentor of the Year award at the UK Social Mobility Awards, and was also presented with the Lewisham Mayor’s CSR Award.[1]
  • 2021 – Awarded the NBCPA Profile in Courage Award by the National Black Crown Prosecution Association, recognising Thomas’s leadership in youth advocacy and justice.[1]
  • 2022 – Leila Thomas was recognised with the Powerlist Black Excellence Community Award for her work creating opportunity through mentoring.[1]
  • 2024 - Urban Synergy won the Future Ed Award for creating educational opportunities. [8]
  • 2025 – Urban Synergy won first prize in the London New Year’s Day Parade as Lewisham’s official Mayor’s Charity, for a float designed by young people highlighting diversity in careers.[6][7]
  • 2025 – Jack Petchey Foundation Leader Award presented to Urban Synergy’s Work Experience & Events Officer, for his outstanding mentorship and impact on young people.[9]



References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Leila Thomas, Urban Synergy Founder". Involve Role Models. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Talent is everywhere; opportunity is not – Urban Synergy CEO Leila Thomas". FT Adviser Podcast. April 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Letter to the editor: Response to the Parker Review". FT Adviser. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  4. ^ "Anti-DEI policies in the US undermining opportunities in the UK". FT Adviser. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Urban Synergy needs your help". Voice Online. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Lewisham youth charity wins top prize at London New Year's Day Parade". Southwark News. 2 January 2025. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Youth charity to represent Lewisham at New Year's Day Parade". London News Online. 30 December 2024. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference FutureEd was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference JackPetchey was invoked but never defined (see the help page).