Lonely Not Alone

The universe goes on forever. Loneliness doesn’t have to.

Lonely Not Alone is a Co-op Foundation campaign co-designed by young people, for young people.

In 2021 the young co-design team set out to build something unique.

Welcome to the Lonely Not Alone universe. “We built the Lonely Not Alone universe for ourselves, and for you. Here, we all know what it’s like to be lonely. This is a safe place for young people to share our stories; to connect with others who’ve had similar experiences to us and may have found a way to make things better; to know we’re not alone.

In this digital universe you can share your story anonymously and we’ll help you find your constellation; people who share some of the same experiences and challenges as you… think of them as your tribe.”

Young people co-design the entire campaign, from the original concept, through creative development and production; commissioning creatives, advising on technology and media, writing copy, music… even helping to shoot and starring in films!

Since Lonely Not Alone was launched in 2019 it has demonstrably reduced the stigma of youth loneliness in the UK; 7 out of 10 young people who have seen the campaign say loneliness is a normal emotion, compared to 5 out of 10 who haven’t. The campaign is also building empathy amongst young people who have less experience of loneliness themselves, and even creating positive, caring behaviours in society.