Youth in Action: Naomi and KJ Are Creating Change for Women’s Futures

This International Youth Day, we are celebrating Naomi and KJ, two young supporters whose fundraising is creating real opportunity for women connected to Dress for Success Greater London.

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International Youth Day is a chance to recognise the young people who are not waiting for permission to make a difference. They are already giving their time, bringing fresh ideas and using their energy to help build a fairer future.

At Dress for Success Greater London, we are proud to celebrate two young supporters whose commitment is already making a meaningful impact. Naomi and KJ have taken different routes into fundraising, but they share a belief that women deserve the confidence, support and opportunity to move forward in their working lives.

Naomi and the power of matched giving

Naomi’s fundraising through the Meet the Challenge Campaign has raised more than £80,000 for Dress for Success Greater London through matched giving.

The number is extraordinary, but it also tells a much bigger story. Matched giving turns one person’s decision to act into a wider community effort. It brings people together around the idea that women should have access to the practical support and confidence they need as they prepare for their next career opportunity.

Naomi has shown what can happen when a young person combines determination with a clear purpose. Her work is helping to create a stronger foundation for women who are ready to step into interviews, return to work, build new skills or take the next step in their careers.

We are deeply grateful for Naomi’s energy, leadership and belief in women’s futures.

KJ and a connection that has grown over time

KJ’s relationship with Dress for Success Greater

London goes back to 2015. At five years old, he was photographed in our original Greater London office, where he lived at the time.

That early connection has grown into long-term service. KJ has volunteered as a clothing sorter with Dress for Success Greater London and Dress for Success Chattanooga. He also served as a co-founding intern for the Chattanooga affiliate.

Today, KJ is bringing those connections together through Youth for Success, a two-year fundraising initiative that links Dress for Success Greater London, Chattanooga and Singapore. In its first year, the campaign raised $15,000, with $5,000 directed to each affiliate.

The three locations reflect KJ’s own life in Greater London and Singapore, alongside his family roots in Chattanooga through his mother and grandparents, who are native Chattanoogans. It is a personal story, but it is also a powerful example of how belonging to more than one place can become a source of purpose.

Youth for Success continues through next summer. We look forward to seeing how KJ’s commitment keeps growing and how his campaign continues to connect women’s futures across the Dress for Success network.

Different stories, shared purpose

Naomi and KJ remind us that there is no single way to lead. One person can mobilise a matched-giving campaign that raises more than £80,000. Another can turn a lifelong connection to a cause into a multi-affiliate fundraising initiative.

Both are showing that young people are not only the leaders of tomorrow. They are already shaping what is possible today.

This International Youth Day, we thank Naomi and KJ for standing with women who are building confidence, pursuing opportunity and creating new futures for themselves and their families.