Charlbury Youth Merger - 2026/2027

Sun 19 Jul, 06:53

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Youth Corner's programmes are being folded into OXIE's Youth Innovation Studio!

When I first sketched out OXIE's Youth Innovation Studio venture in January, I pictured AI, robotics, and drones. A room where young people would learn to build with technology.

Then I remembered that "innovation" isn't just AI and deep tech. It's in fashion, food, education, politics, wildlife restoration, and every other pioneering effort to improve the world around us. So why would I limit the Youth Innovation Studio to a tech lab for youth?

A Youth Innovation Studio shouldn't only provide access to innovative technology and tech programmes. It would need an upcycling station for the artists. A kitchen where the full spectrum of STEM becomes hands-on. And just like the tech company offices I've sat in, it would have enrichment spaces like pool tables, a café, and board games. Because the Studio isn't only for the kid who wants to code. It's for anyone and everyone who wants a space to hang out and explore their potential to create, innovate, and thrive.

So we're bringing it ALL together. Youth Corner's anticipated programmes and locations are folding into OXIE's Youth Innovation Studio — one home, one team, one growing ecosystem for young people across Oxfordshire.

And the timing couldn't be better: OXIE has just received statutory funding to get Oxford's Youth Innovation Ecosystem off the ground. 🎉

This weekend, come find us at Riverside — we're running a volunteer drive at the Wishing Tree. Stop by, make a wish (completely free), and see whether you'd like to join our growing team of volunteers at OXIE.

We'll have brochures on hand with more about the upcoming Youth Innovation Studio, plus a QR code if you'd like to help us reach our minimum target to open our doors in Charlbury this September — free for any young person to drop in afterschool, four days a week.

A Youth Club meets Innovation Lab. An afterschool space where young people aged 12–25 rediscover themselves and become the architects of their own futures.

OXIE is a non-profit organisation that backs projects, programmes, and events empowering the next generation through the technosocial shift we are living through.

Learn more at https://oxie.org.uk/studio/

If you want to get ahead of the curve, you can donate HERE