Creating Space for Young People’s Voices to Shape Change 

Rekindle and The Roots Programme recently co-hosted a workshop with the Future Governance Forum (FGF), bringing together ten young people aged 13-17 to continue and deepen conversations first opened during the Re-Rooting Greater Manchester conference in October.

The session built on what young people had already shared, creating dedicated time and space for those insights to be explored further and taken seriously beyond the room.

At the heart of the day was our commitment to creating environments where young people feel able to speak openly, listen to one another, and trust that their experiences matter. Working alongside Future Governance Forum – a think tank engaging directly with government to strengthen public services and policy reform – the workshop ensured that young people’s reflections and experiences would help inform ongoing research and future conversations at a national level and the output from the sessions has already been shared at a recent Social Insights Panel in London 

Discussions ranged widely, reflecting the complexity of young people’s lives. Participants explored the systems and public services they interact with as they grow up, including education, healthcare, family and community support and justice. These conversations opened up honest reflections on where support feels meaningful, where it falls short, and how help often only arrives once situations have escalated and young people are in or reaching crisis.

People, places and belonging were also on the agenda. Young people shared where they feel safe, supported and understood, as opposed to where they feel judged and isolated. We discussed the digital world and the impact of social media, with a lively debate about whether online spaces help to create connection or divide people. These conversations highlighted how feelings of safety and belonging are shaped not just by services, but by relationships, communities and wider social forces.

The care the young people showed for one another and how open to talking about their own experiences was inspiring as ever. Feedback at the end of the day reiterated how powerful and profound it is to hear different perspectives, and some of the young people shared that they left feeling less alone in their experiences and with a stronger sense of confidence to stand up for others.

By creating space for these conversations and working with partners like FGF to carry them forward, The Roots Programme and Rekindle continue to support young people in shaping change – as a starting point, not just an afterthought.