Place-Based Change Starts With Listening: Why Bolton Needs Young People at the Table
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Place-Based Change Starts With Listening: Why Bolton Needs Young People at the Table
For too long, decisions about young people have been made without young people.
Strategies are written.
Meetings take place.
Reports are commissioned.
Funding priorities shift.
Yet many young people continue to feel disconnected from the very systems designed to support them.
Across the UK, there is growing recognition that communities thrive when local people shape local solutions. This approach, often referred to as place-based change, is gaining momentum among charities, local authorities, youth organisations and national partners.
At Genuine Futures, we believe place-based change starts with something much simpler.
It starts with listening.
Not listening to reply.
Not listening to tick a box.
Not listening to gather evidence for another report.
Listening to understand.
Listening to build trust.
Listening to share power.
Listening to young people whose experiences, ideas and ambitions should help shape the future of Bolton.
What Is Place-Based Change?
Place-based change recognises that every town is unique.
Communities have different strengths, challenges, cultures and opportunities.
Solutions developed nationally do not always translate locally.
The most effective change happens when schools, businesses, voluntary organisations, local authorities, employers and residents work together alongside people with lived experience.
Young people are not simply recipients of services.
They are experts in their own lives.
Yet despite years of discussion about participation, many still feel unheard.
At Genuine Futures, we regularly hear the same message from young people.
“People ask us what we think, but nothing ever changes.”
Participation without action creates frustration.
Consultation without influence damages trust.
Listening must lead somewhere.
It should influence decisions.
Shape programmes.
Inform commissioning.
Create opportunities.
And help build communities where young people feel valued.
Bolton Has Incredible Potential
Bolton has always been a town built on resilience.
A town of industry.
A town of innovation.
A town of communities who look after one another.
But Bolton also faces significant challenges.
Like many towns across the country, Bolton has experienced the decline of entry-level opportunities, rising levels of poor mental health, increasing financial pressures on families and higher than average numbers of young people who are not in education, employment or training.
Nationally, there are now more than one million young people aged 16–24 who are NEET.
Behind every statistic is a person.
A teenager struggling with anxiety.
A young person excluded from school.
A care leaver trying to navigate adulthood alone.
Someone who has spent months isolated in their bedroom wondering if anyone notices they are missing.
At Genuine Futures, we have listened to hundreds of young people.
Their stories remind us why youth participation matters.
The Voices of Young People
Luis Green – Youth Voice Champion
Luis spent almost two years isolated at home before becoming involved with Genuine Futures.
Today, he helps lead tours, speaks at meetings and represents young people in discussions with local decision makers.
Reflecting on a recent visit to a football stadium, he said:
“It made me feel many things – the huge sense of scale of the stadium. I could understand the frustrations in the meeting, especially when so many meetings have taken place. But I believe we can achieve anything now.”
Luis believes young people should not just be invited into conversations.
They should be helping lead them.
“Young people know what it’s like to be left waiting for support. If people listened more, they’d realise we already have ideas about what would help.”
Cameron – Boss Your Future Graduate
Before joining Genuine Futures, Cameron described spending most of his time alone.
“Before Genuine Futures, I was just stuck in my room.”
Through the Boss Your Future programme, Cameron developed confidence, met employers, attended community events and began supporting activities himself.
Today he encourages other young people to take the first step.
“It starts with one conversation and one seat at the table. Sometimes that’s all someone needs.”
Aaron – Young Community Leader
Aaron graduated through Boss Your Future and now actively supports local projects and events.
He wants young people to play a bigger role in improving the places where they live.
“Let’s make Bolton a cleaner place.”
Aaron believes practical projects like Clean Futures demonstrate that young people want to contribute positively.
“People often expect the worst from young people. We just need opportunities to show what we can do.”
Jason “Jay” Williams – Finding Purpose Through Action
Jay faced repeated setbacks and was turned away by several colleges.
Today, he is helping deliver services through Clean Futures and developing new skills every week.
He says:
“Being involved has helped me gain experience, build confidence and be part of something that genuinely helps people.”
For Jay, participation is not about sitting in meetings.
It is about feeling useful.
Feeling trusted.
Feeling needed.
Paula Yates – From Surviving to Creating
Paula joined Genuine Futures while living in supported accommodation.
She is now a Youth Ambassador and Creative Lead.
Her artwork carries a powerful message.
“I am not my past.”
She believes creativity offers young people another way to express themselves.
“Not everyone wants to stand up and speak in front of people. Some of us tell our stories through art, music and creativity. That should count too.”
Paula’s journey reminds us that participation should never be limited to those who are most confident.
Every young person deserves a way to contribute.
It Starts With Listening
These voices inspired our It Starts With Listening campaign.
Listening sounds simple.
Yet genuine listening is becoming increasingly rare.
Many young people tell us they have completed surveys, attended consultations and shared difficult experiences only to find that nothing changes.
At Genuine Futures, we believe listening should lead to action.
That is why we launched Our Bolton, Our Future and the It Starts With Listening Survey.
Young people are helping us gather views from across the town.
They are asking difficult questions.
What is it like growing up in Bolton today?
Do young people feel safe?
Do they feel hopeful?
Do they think there are enough opportunities?
And what would they change?
These conversations matter because solutions are already emerging.
Young people want:
More entry-level jobs
More trusted adults
Better mental health support
More affordable activities
More places to meet
Greater involvement in decisions
The Young Futures Hub
The Young Futures Hub is an example of place-based change in practice.
It is not simply a venue.
It is a shared space where young people influence activities, organise events, meet employers and develop enterprise projects.
For some young people, walking through the door is their biggest achievement in months.
For others, it becomes a route into volunteering, education or employment.
Luis now leads tours.
Paula designs promotional materials.
Aaron helps organise events.
Jay supports enterprise activities.
Young people who once felt invisible are now becoming community leaders.
Prevention Before Crisis
We often hear professionals speak about prevention.
Yet too many systems still respond only after problems become severe.
Support frequently arrives when a young person has already disengaged from school.
Already entered the criminal justice system.
Already experienced homelessness.
Already reached crisis point.
At Genuine Futures, we believe in prevention before punishment.
As someone who entered care at thirteen, spent time in secure units, experienced homelessness and later spent years in prison, I know the cost of missed opportunities.
Punishment alone never changed my life.
Relationships did.
Opportunity did.
Belonging did.
Someone believing in me did.
And that belief is what we try to offer every young person who walks through our doors.
Why Bolton Needs Young People at the Table
Bolton is changing.
Investment is taking place.
Regeneration is happening.
Businesses are adapting.
Communities are evolving.
But if young people remain absent from these conversations, we risk designing solutions that fail to meet their needs.
Young people should not simply be consulted.
They should be partners.
Advisors.
Ambassadors.
Co-designers.
Decision makers.
Imagine what Bolton could become if every major initiative included young people with lived experience.
Imagine if they helped shape transport.
Employment strategies.
Mental health services.
Town centre regeneration.
Housing developments.
Environmental campaigns.
Imagine if listening became part of Bolton’s culture.
Sam Smith, Founder of Genuine Futures
“For years, people asked what was wrong with me. Very few asked what had happened to me.”
“Today, we ask a different question.”
“What has happened to our young people, and what can we do together to create opportunities before crisis takes hold?”
“Young people don’t need saving.”
“They need believing in.”
“They need opportunities.”
“They need trusted adults.”
“And they need a genuine seat at the table where decisions are made.”
Have Your Say: It Starts With Listening
At Genuine Futures, we believe young people should not simply be consulted occasionally.
They should be partners.
Advisors.
Ambassadors.
Decision-makers.
We want to hear directly from young people, parents, professionals, businesses and residents across Bolton and beyond.
We want to understand:
What is it really like growing up in Bolton today?
Do young people feel listened to?
What opportunities are missing?
What would make Bolton a better place for young people?
How can services work together more effectively?
Every response helps us build evidence, influence decision-makers and ensure that lived experience informs future plans, programmes and investment.
Take the Survey
It Starts With Listening Survey
Complete the survey here
The Future Starts Here
Place-based change is not a project.
It is not a funding programme.
It is not a slogan.
It is a commitment.
A commitment to trust communities.
To value lived experience.
To invest in relationships.
And to recognise that young people are not leaders of tomorrow.
They are leaders today.
Because the future of Bolton should never be designed for young people.
It should be designed with them.
The next chapter in Bolton’s story should not simply be written about young people.
It should be written alongside them.
Because place-based change doesn’t begin in a boardroom.
It begins with a conversation.
It begins with trust.
And above all else—