Authoring Our Own Stories 2026: Year Five National

2026 is the fifth and final year of Authoring Our Own Stories. We are excited and proud of the work achieved across the country with Young Leaders, focus group participants, our stakeholders and regional youth units, since this youth voice project was launched in 2022. The time has flown and we are eager to begin implementing recommendations this year, based on all the rich data collected through our field work over the years. Across the country, projects will be delivered with young people in Blackburn, Barnsley, London, and Plymouth. Groups will be focused on how they take the invaluable feedback shared through their fieldwork to influence policy and practice both locally and nationally. For example, in Knowsley work continues with decision makers and Youth Focus North West, to implement recommendations from 2025, to improve safety for local young people in civic spaces. Work has also begun in Blackburn providing a new opportunity for young people to examine how their regional identities influence their access to youth support. 

In Barnsley young leaders have created an app signposting young men to education, training, and employment opportunities. Additionally, they have made videos that present men in diverse, professional roles to expand young men’s life outcomes, by raising aspirations and creating greater access to knowledge. The young women from Plymouth recently presented their data to key decision makers at local event and will be working with members of the VAWG  (Violence Against Women and Girls) sector to address issues of emotional and physical safety for young women. Finally, in London, Young Leaders are currently co-designing a series of three training programmes for professionals. These training sessions are the key method being used to implement recommendations from their research. The group is using creative resources developed across all year groups engaged in Authoring Our Own Stories as the basis for the training. They aim to cohere and share insights that upskill the workforce about more effective mental health support for young people of African, African-Caribbean, and Asian heritage.