Youth Voice: Rewriting the Invitation

In January 2023, the Belong in Plymouth team revisited a familiar challenge: how can young people have real influence in shaping their city?

“Youth influence has waxed and waned,” Matt Bell noted, echoing past attempts to create platforms for young voices. But this time, the team wanted something deeper—an invitation to truly collaborate, not just consult.

A draft message to professionals in the VCSE and public sectors circulated among the team. It wasn’t perfect. In fact, that was the point. As Martyn put it, “Let’s use the red pen and ask: who’s this really for? Are we writing *to* young people or *about* them?”

What followed was a real-time lesson in relational working. The team didn’t just polish language; they rethought tone, purpose, and audience. They acknowledged the risk of being tokenistic and chose to slow down, reflect, and co-author a more inclusive invitation.

The invitation eventually took shape as a call to action—not a finished product. It was a message to professionals that said: if we’re serious about youth engagement, we need to show up differently.

“We’ve been here before,” Matt reflected. “But we believe the tide could turn if we anchor collaboration in the same relational approaches we use with adults.”

It’s clear the Belong in Plymouth team is less interested in perfectly written statements and more focused on honest, evolving dialogue. And that’s exactly how trust with young people starts—not with polished plans, but with the willingness to keep rewriting together.