Our Impact Report is here and the verdict’s in – Fight for Peace leaves 2025 victorious. From the record breaking number of over 20,000 attendances at our Academy to the thousands of young people we’ve reached nationally through the Life Champions course, as you flip through the accolades of the past year, you’ll see how we’ve moved from strength to strength.

Inclusion has always been the bedrock of our organisation, and as 2025 revealed we are only growing closer to our vision of a world where all young people have the support needed to  reach their full potential and thrive. 

Since 2022, women and girls’ participation has increased by 66%, as we saw in 2025 the highest number of women and girls ever welcomed in a single year at Fight for Peace.

Beyond gender balance, 2025 also saw momentous strides with the growth of competitive athletes as we measured a staggering 135% increase in competitors compared to 2024, accompanied by an impressive 65% win rate across muay thai, Mixed Martial Arts and boxing. 

But numbers are not everything, and the real credit lies with the confidence, resilience and support that has inspired these young athletes to compete and achieve. But as Aslam, one of our boxing competitors shared, it’s not all about the win: 

“One thing I wish someone would have told me early in my boxing career is that winning or losing doesn’t define you, it’s the progress that counts. Even in life in general you can win, lose – it doesn’t matter.”

Storming ahead, we saw youth leadership, talent and voice raising the bar. Fight for Peace youth leadership group, Youth Power, guided events, supported the acquisition of grants, and sat on interview panels. 

While Future Light, the Newham Youth Partnership’s (a collective of local organisations led by Fight for Peace) youth leadership group influenced local services and shaped wider neighbourhood strategy in Newham.  

The Young Creatives also made incredible breakthroughs, as this creative programme brought together 11 talented young people to produce high-quality film, photography and social media content for Fight for Peace’s channels. The group’s 2025 highlights feature some of their most powerful work yet, including a collaboration with OPRO Mouthguards, and the ‘I Love My Newham ‘Still’’ exhibition. 

We continued to strengthen our Education and Employability Pillars. In a climate where the youth-to-adult unemployment ratio has reached an all-time high our programmes provide a vital bridge to sustainable careers, as we supported 228 young people into achieving employment, education and long‑term opportunities. 

Throughout all of our services, we pioneered for belonging. In 2025, our gender-specific personal development groups, Man Talk and Lutadoras, both welcomed an increase in attendance with 80% reporting they felt more able to do anything they set their minds to. Guided by trusted mentors, this safe space allows young people to explore their identity, build lasting friendships, and develop the sense of belonging they need to thrive.

Beyond Newham, the uptake of our Life Champions course propelled our impact nationally, as we worked alongside over 75 organisations from across the sport for development sector to share learnings with coaches. 

We estimated that the Life Champions course reached 8,800 young people across the country by strengthening and empowering coaches to tackle inequalities, embrace inclusive practices, and mentor young people beyond sport. 

As our CEO, Lee Hemmings, shared, ‘Our Life Champions course has made huge moves…catapulting our impact into the areas of greatest national need. Over 70% of the coaches that enrolled in our Life Champions course this year are based in UK regions identified as having the highest levels of inactivity.’ And it will only continue to grow.

We are exceptionally proud of everything that was achieved in 2025, and can’t thank all those who have supported us enough. To our sponsors, partners, our Alliance members, the Newham Youth Partnership, our volunteers, our advocates, and the young people whose voices and energy continue to shape our impact – none of this would be possible without you.

Check out all of our wins here: Read the full Impact Report.