Every week in Bolton and across Greater Manchester, boys are falling out of school, out of support, and into risk.
Not because they don’t care — but because too many stop trusting systems that didn’t stay.
The Lost Boys is Genuine Futures’ fundraising appeal to fund earlier, relational support — the kind that prevents exclusion becoming crisis, and crisis becoming harm.
Your donation will help us see boys earlier — and stay longer.
It funds practical, trust-based support including:
This is about prevention — before a boy is “known to services”, before the streets become his structure.
Genuine Futures is a youth-led enterprise hub built around real-world routes back to purpose.
Car Wash → Valeting → Light Vehicle Maintenance
A structured progression that builds routine, confidence, customer skills and employability — with trusted adults alongside the young person.
We Scrap Anything — Restoring Value. Rebuilding Futures. Recycling Hope.
Hands-on enterprise, responsibility, and belonging — led with young people, not done to them.
When early support isn’t available, the system often responds late — through crisis-led placements, police involvement, and emergency safeguards.
That includes the rising use of Deprivation of Liberty (DoL) orders — where children are placed in unregulated settings because there aren’t suitable options available. These aren’t long-term solutions. They’re evidence of a system under pressure — and children paying the price.
The earlier we act, the less harm we have to manage later.
Every contribution helps us act earlier. Here’s what your support makes possible:
(You can adapt these amounts to match your actual costings if you’d like.)
Give what you can — one-off or monthly.
If you’re a business, commissioner or funder: sponsor places for boys at risk of exclusion and exploitation.
Schools, safeguarding teams, local services and employers — work with us to create earlier pathways, not later consequences.