15 July 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cambridge Learning Community Finds Young People Thrive When Given More Ownership of Their Learning

This week saw the completion of a pilot year of a Cambridge-based supplementary learning community suggests that young people flourish when they are given greater ownership over what and how they learn.

Waymakers Cambridge CIC, a non-profit organisation supporting home-educating and flexi-schooling families, has shared findings from its Curiosity Hub programme, revealing strong themes of enjoyment, belonging, autonomy and engagement among participating young people.

At a celebration event planned and delivered by young people, participants and families were invited to reflect on their experiences through a creative, participatory activity. Feedback from this activity and other evaluation forms completed throughout the pilot year, consistently highlighted the value of having a welcoming community where young people could pursue their interests at a pace that worked for them, share ideas, develop friendships and contribute to the direction of activities. The Waymakers model encourages young people to think carefully about the ways they prefer to engage in learning and what really interests them.

Young people described Curiosity Hub as a place where "you can be yourself" and appreciated that there were "no pointless rules". One participant highlighted the collaborative nature of the programme, explaining that "we do fun projects like this together", referring to planning and delivering a community celebration and open day event which raised over £250 which will be split between The Cambridge Acorn Project and Guide Dogs.

Rather than focusing on predetermined outcomes, Curiosity Hub provides a space where young people can explore questions, projects and interests that matter to them, supported by experienced facilitators and a community of peers.

Helen Murray, Co-Director of Waymakers Cambridge CIC, said:

"One of the strongest messages I have seen coming through this year was that young people value having genuine ownership over their learning. Families spoke about young people looking forward to sessions, being supported but not pushed to pursue interests, building friendships and feeling able to be themselves.

At a time when many families are thinking carefully about wellbeing, engagement and educational choice, these findings suggest that curiosity, autonomy and community can play an important role in helping young people thrive."

The findings contribute to growing conversations about the importance of learner agency, intrinsic motivation and meaningful community connections in supporting young people's development and wellbeing.

Waymakers Cambridge CIC hopes their work will encourage wider discussion about how communities can create environments where young people are trusted, respected and empowered to shape their own learning journeys.

Further information:

https://www.waymakerscambridge.co.uk/journal/curiosity-hub-making-a-difference

https://www.waymakerscambridge.co.uk/about

https://www.waymakerscambridge.co.uk/values

Helen Murray
Co-Director
Waymakers Cambridge CIC
helen@waymakerscambridge.co.uk