Uncommon Creative Studio has partnered with JD Sports and BBC Children in Need to launch the Youth Club Dictionary, a campaign celebrating the language of youth club culture while drawing attention to the growing loss of these essential community spaces.
Featuring 26 words and phrases gathered from eight youth club focus groups, the pocket dictionary pairs young people’s expressions with personal anecdotes and definitions from Oxford University Press. One entry redefines “Alright” as “a means of deflecting attention away from painful feelings,” revealing how everyday language can carry deeper emotional meaning.
The project highlights the role youth clubs play in giving young people a place to feel understood, build friendships and connect with trusted adults. Research cited in the campaign found that nearly four in ten UK youth clubs have closed since 2010, while 78% of surveyed current youth club attendees expressed concern about what would happen to their peers if more clubs closed.
The campaign is also brought to life through music. MOBO-winning rapper and former youth club member DC3 has released My Home, a track and accompanying music video inspired by the dictionary’s language. Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Andrea Arnold and produced by Park Pictures, the film was shot at Downside Fisher Youth Club in Bermondsey, capturing the sense of friendship, purpose and belonging these spaces can provide.
Beyond the dictionary and music video, the campaign extends into out-of-home advertising, with a 30-panel gallery in Elephant & Castle, South London, showcasing the dictionary’s definitions. Digital displays have also appeared in London, Newcastle, Leeds, Southampton, Brighton and Manchester.
Through their ongoing partnership, JD Sports and BBC Children in Need are supporting youth clubs nationwide, funding existing spaces and creating career development opportunities for young people through workshops, virtual work experience and a nationwide careers tour in collaboration with BBC Bitesize.
By turning the words of young people into the centrepiece of the campaign, Uncommon and its partners aim to show what’s lost when youth clubs close — not just a physical space, but a vital place where the next generation can feel heard and understood.
To learn more about the campaign and donate to UK youth clubs, visit youthclubdictionary.co.uk.
