Young people's voices
Young people’s voices are at the heart of everything we do. We believe they should have a say in decisions that affect them because they are the experts in their own lives.
From shaping our services, policies and advocacy work to being involved in creative projects and gaining new skills, young people influence every part of our charity. Everything we do is co-produced meaning we work with them to make sure their voice is heard, and their ideas and contributions drive real change.
Always working together
We value young people’s views and believe they should have a voice in decisions that affect them. Many young people in care have experienced major life changes with little say in the process but we recognise that young people are the experts in their own lives, and our services are only at their best when young people and staff work together.
That’s why we create spaces where young people can speak up, share their ideas, and shape the services they need – because when young people are involved, our staff gain deeper insights, develop their skills, and together we can build more effective and meaningful support.
And when young people have a voice and can participate in decision-making, we see increased confidence, self-esteem, and a stronger sense of community, and our Participation Team are committed to working closely with our young people to embed co-production across all our work.
Our young people take part in:
A regular meeting where young people advise our leadership, executive and trustees to shape the organisation.
Young people's feedback on our leaving care service and share their ideas for improvements.
Part of the recruitment process and interview prospective new foster carers.
Young people sit on employee interview panels, ask questions and feed into the decision making process.
Our young people play a key role in shaping our marketing and communications. They’ve helped design our Christmas jumper campaign, contributed ideas to marketing projects and the GoGo trails, and influenced the festive displays in our Break retail shops!
They help shape key initiatives like the Care Leaver Summit, co-deliver workshops and conferences, and engage with trustees and stakeholders to ensure their voices drive real change across Break and beyond.
Take a Break Podcast
Here young voices share their real stories about life in and after care, shedding light on their experiences. This powerful series gives them a platform to advocate for themselves whilst also building valuable digital skills.
Tune in to hear inspiring interviews and understand what it truly means to be a care leaver.
Thank you to the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation, Community Fund and Candour for making our studio project possible.
Collaboration
We believe collaboration is key to creating meaningful opportunities for young people. By working with other organisations, we can provide skill-building, work experience, and valuable resources.
Here’s just a few of the amazing things our young people are involved in:
- Kick the Dust provides young people aged 13-25 with opportunities to get involved with museums and heritage and we’ve been working on projects around the idea of voices, labels and aspirations.
- Concrete Rose is devoted to providing first-class support that responds to the needs of young people particularly in the fields of accommodation and education. We’ve been piloting ‘Better Help’ free therapy access for Care Leavers.
- We are a Participation Champion for Norfolk County Council and part of their 'Youth Forum for Care Leavers' and 'NEET Steering Group'.
- Two young people joined the Council for Disabled Children’s ‘Youth Voice Matters’ Conference 2024 and co-produced the Youth Voice Manifesto.
- Through Norfolk Wildlife Trust, our young people access nature opportunities, improving wellbeing and learning new skills.
- Working with the Norwich Theatre Royal, our young people joined their Employability and Skills Building Workshops for Care Experienced young people to gain experience in the arts, theatre, and creative industries
- One of our young people has joined the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Care-Experienced Children and Young People.
If you're interested in partnering with us, our Participation Team would love to explore how we can work together to support and inspire young people!
Real stories
"I didn't feel ready to leave care"
Tyler Jones*, 21, left care at 18 and was moved into one of Break’s Staying Close, Staying Connected flats. He shares his story.
CoffeeBreak
“Getting work doesn’t seem so scary anymore”
Born from the creativity and drive of Break’s young people, CoffeeBreak is a groundbreaking project that blends fresh coffee with life-changing opportunities.
With support from UEA Norwich Business School, a team of young people secured funding and, in August 2020, launched our mobile coffee van. Since then, CoffeeBreak has grown, empowering young people with skills, confidence, and real work experience—all while serving great coffee, cakes, and snacks at events!
