First cohort appointed to Future London Makers

The first cohort of Future London Makers have been appointed as part of a new initiative by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and London residential developer Mount Anvil. Designed to bring together young residents to help shape the design, development and regeneration of housing estates across the capital, the Future London Makers programme was launched at City Hall with Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development Tom Copley.

The 10 panellists are aged between 16 and 21 and represent boroughs from across London. They are Firdaous Idris and Elijah Slaw from Wandsworth; Jayden Kemal from Tower Hamlets; Mariam Bavi, Khylene Sam and Rahelyn Asewando from Southwark; Christy (Chan Wing Yau) and Joseph Chibley from Westminster; Neha Maisha Islam from Brent and Khamil Foster from Lambeth.

At a time of increasing pressure on affordable housing delivery, Future London Makers aims to address the significant opportunity for more impactful engagement with young people to inform better housing design and delivery in the capital. At the same time, it will provide the participants with a unique opportunity of hands-on experience to kick start potential careers in housing.

Over the course of a year-long programme, the Future London Makers will visit housing estates at various stages of development, to explore what’s working and what’s not; meet and collaborate with industry experts; and contribute ideas to make estates safer, healthier and happier. Mentoring and professional skills development in leadership, communication and estate design are embedded throughout the programme.

The appointments follow the launch of the initiative in November 2025. Applicants were selected based on their passion for improving communities and interest in housing. The Future London Makers will be paid the equivalent of London Living Wage for their time and valuable insight, helping to set a new standard for youth-led regeneration in London.

Contributions and ideas from the group will inform Mount Anvil’s work with partners on estate transformation schemes across London. Priority was given to applicants living on or near estates where Mount Anvil is working, so they will be able to create positive impact in their own communities.

The programme takes inspiration from Mount Anvil’s Independent Resident Advisory Panel (IRAP), which sees a panel of external housing experts canvas feedback from estate residents, which is shared with senior leadership to be actioned and reported on.

Future London Makers is the latest programme within Makers & Mentors, Mount Anvil’s award-winning and GLA-backed mentoring and careers initiative. Makers & Mentors aims to help attract and retain diverse talent in the housing sector. Created with the aim of making industry exposure and learning opportunities more accessible, close to 2,500 people have now either participated or expressed interest in the programme which includes mentoring, work experience, a curriculum support programme for schools, and now Future London Makers.

Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Residential Development, said: “I am proud to launch the Future London Makers programme at City Hall in partnership with Mount Anvil. This is a fantastic, new initiative – supported by the Mayor of London – bringing together a group of 10 young Londoners to help shape the future of housing estates across the capital. At a time when we know there is increasing pressure on affordable housing delivery, Future London Makers will equip the next generation with experience and knowledge to pursue career opportunities in the sector and contribute towards better housing design and delivery in the capital. It has been a privilege to meet the first group of Future London Makers today and I’m excited to follow their progress over the next 12 months.”

Lisa Ravenscroft, Chief Growth Officer at Mount Anvil, said: "Together with our partners at the GLA, we will spend this year helping the Future London Makers transform estate regeneration in our city and the role of young people in it. They are a hugely passionate group ready to make real impact in their communities, and we are proud to give them a seat at the table to do just that. With boroughs from Lambeth to Brent represented, this group is a cross-section of the capital that shares a drive to improve housing design, development and long-term outcomes in their neighbourhoods, and in London as a whole”.

Founding member of Future London Makers, Firdaous Idris, said: “I’m excited to make my mark as a Future London Maker. As young people looking into the future, sooner or later we'll be living in these homes and on these estates; we have the right to say what we think they should look like. Young people are very good at saying what they want and what they don't want and deserve to be heard. The biggest impact will come from being there in person to ask questions and push or change. I’m looking forward to seeing the sites and working with the other Future London Makers to achieve a common goal and help change other young people’s views on this topic at the same time.”

For more information about the programme, visit: www.makersandmentors.mountanvil.com/future-london-makers