You Are Not Stuck: Luis and Cameron Take Boss Your Future to Bolton’s Young People
Posted on:
Young people speaking directly to young people
Two young men. One Bolton town centre. One powerful message:
You are not stuck. Your past does not decide your future.
In our latest Genuine Futures video, Luis and Cameron take the message of Boss Your Future Bolton directly onto the streets. They are not reading from a script written by somebody who has never faced the barriers young people face. They are speaking from experience.
They know what it feels like to need direction, encouragement and someone who genuinely believes in you. Today, they are using their voices to reach other young people who may be isolated at home, out of education or work, struggling with confidence, or simply unsure what their next step should be.
This is youth voice in action. It is also prevention in action.
From receiving support to creating opportunity
Luis and Cameron have both become important voices within Genuine Futures.
Luis is a Youth Voice Champion, presenter and communicator. His progress has shown what can happen when a young person is given a platform, trusted with responsibility and encouraged to develop the abilities that were already there. His message is simple and full of hope:
“We can achieve anything now.” — Luis
Cameron is a Boss Your Future graduate who has developed his confidence through practical projects, public speaking, community work and real responsibility. He understands that change rarely begins with a complicated system. It often begins when somebody takes the time to listen.
“It starts with one conversation and one seat at the table.” — Cameron
That is why this video matters. Luis and Cameron are not being used as case studies at the end of a report. They are helping to lead the conversation, recruit the next group and show other young people that progress is possible.
What is Boss Your Future Bolton?
Boss Your Future is Genuine Futures’ flagship 12-week programme for young people aged 15–24 who are not currently in education, employment or training, or who are at risk of becoming disconnected from opportunity.
The programme is built around relationships, trust and practical experience. We do not begin by asking, “What is wrong with this young person?” We begin by asking:
- What has happened in their life?
- What are they interested in?
- What are they good at?
- What would help them take the next step?
- Who needs to listen?
Every young person is different. Some need to rebuild confidence before they can think about employment. Some have had negative experiences of education. Some need a safe place to meet people and develop a routine. Others are ready to try work, explore self-employment or turn an idea into a small enterprise.
Boss Your Future brings those routes together through six connected themes:
- New Beginnings — confidence, mindset and recognising personal strengths
- Future Works — employability, work experience and practical skills
- Future Enterprise — entrepreneurship, ideas and youth-led business activity
- Future Connections — trusted adults, employers, partners and community networks
- Future Voices — communication, creativity, leadership and being heard
- Future Foundations — wellbeing, routines and the support needed for lasting progress
It is not a one-size-fits-all course. It is a bridge from feeling stuck to seeing genuine possibilities.
Why youth-led recruitment works
Young people can tell immediately when something has been designed around them rather than with them.
That is why Luis and Cameron being visible in Bolton town centre is so important. They can reach people in a way that a formal leaflet or institutional message often cannot. They understand the language, the doubts and the fear of walking into an unfamiliar programme.
Their presence says:
We have taken that first step. You can too.
It also challenges the way organisations sometimes speak about young people who are described as NEET. The term means “not in education, employment or training”, but it must never become a label that defines a person’s worth or potential.
Behind every statistic is a young person with abilities, experiences, ambitions and ideas. The question is not whether they have potential. The question is whether the right opportunities, relationships and environments are available to unlock it.
Everyone knew — so why do we wait for crisis?
At Genuine Futures, we often use the words “Everyone Knew.”
Schools, services, families and communities frequently recognise the warning signs early: falling attendance, exclusion, isolation, anxiety, loss of confidence, unmet additional needs or a young person retreating into their bedroom.
If we know early, why do we so often act late?
Too many young people only receive intensive attention once their situation has reached crisis point. By then, they may have experienced years of rejection, disconnection and lost trust.
Boss Your Future is built on a different principle: prevention before crisis.
Early conversations matter. Trusted relationships matter. Practical opportunities matter. A young person should not have to fall through every available gap before someone helps them build a future.
This is personal for Genuine Futures founder Sam Smith. At 13, Sam entered the care and secure-unit system after exclusion from school. What followed was a long cycle through youth justice and adult prisons. Decades later, he returned to Bolton determined to help create the opportunities and trusted relationships that were missing from his own childhood.
Boss Your Future brings lived experience together with youth voice, education, enterprise and community partnerships. It does not claim that one organisation has every answer. It shows what becomes possible when people listen, collaborate and act earlier.
Enterprise can unlock confidence
Traditional classroom learning does not work for every young person. That does not mean those young people cannot learn, contribute or succeed.
Practical and entrepreneurial experiences can reveal strengths that conventional settings have missed. Through Genuine Futures projects, young people can experience customer service, teamwork, communication, problem-solving, marketing, money management and responsibility.
Youth-led initiatives such as We Shine Any Car and Clean Futures create visible routes into enterprise and employment. Young people are not simply told about work. They are supported to try real tasks, meet customers, develop standards and see the results of their effort.
For some, that becomes a route into a job or college. For others, it sparks a business idea. For many, the first outcome is just as important: they begin to believe in themselves again.
That is why our message is not, “Wait for somebody to give you an opportunity.”
It is:
Do not wait for opportunity. Build it.
A message to young people in Bolton
If you are aged 15–24 and feel stuck, you do not need to have everything worked out before contacting us.
You may be out of college or work. You may be spending most of your time at home. You may have applied for opportunities and heard nothing back. You may have lost confidence after being excluded, rejected or misunderstood.
None of that means your future is over.
Boss Your Future is a place to start with one conversation. You can meet the team, learn about the activities and decide whether it feels right for you. There is no expectation that you arrive confident. Building confidence is part of the journey.
The next Boss Your Future Bolton programme begins in October 2026, with limited places available.
A message to parents, carers and professionals
You may know a young person whose confidence has disappeared. They might refuse formal appointments, avoid new environments or say there is no point trying again.
Please do not give up on them.
A referral to Genuine Futures can begin with an informal conversation. We take time to understand the young person rather than pushing them immediately towards an outcome they are not ready for.
We welcome conversations with:
- Parents and carers
- Schools and colleges
- Alternative provision and SEND professionals
- Children’s homes and supported accommodation providers
- Youth justice and care-leaving teams
- Jobcentre and employment advisers
- Community organisations and local employers
No single organisation can end the youth employment and NEET crisis alone. But together, we can make sure fewer young people face it alone.
Take the first step today
Luis and Cameron went into Bolton town centre because young people need to see people like themselves leading change.
Their message is not based on theory. It comes from progress they have lived:
You are not stuck. One conversation can be the beginning of something different.
If you are a young person looking for your next step—or a parent, carer or professional supporting somebody who needs an opportunity—contact Genuine Futures today.
Visit: genuinefutures.co.uk
YouTube: @genuinefutures
Programme: Boss Your Future Bolton
Age range: 15–24
Next cohort: October 2026 — limited places
Genuine Futures: bridging the gap to opportunity.