Blog Archives - UK Youth

Too often, the complex systems that shape young people’s lives, from schools and health services to youth provision and local government, operate in silos. When services aren’t joined up, young people are left navigating gaps because their needs were not considered from the outset.

The Joined Up Institute is a powerful example of how youth voice can be embedded from the very beginning, to create a fit-for-purpose and local approach to addressing these challenges.

Co-designing from the start

The journey began with a youth co-designer group, bringing together young people from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of interests from across the UK. Through a series of workshops, they shaped the early concepts of the Joined Up Institute and worked on designs for the Joined Up Summit.

The Summit put young people front and centre, not only as participants, but as leaders and contributors to the delivery of the event. Over 500 young people joined senior leaders from youth-facing sectors, funders, business leaders, and policymakers to set out a shared roadmap for change.

Young people took a central role in shaping the programme, which centred on four core themes: Our Potential, Our Communities, Our Power and Our Wellbeing. With a young co-Chair helping to lead the event, youth-only spaces embedded throughout the day, and young people sharing their perspectives through presentations and groupdiscussions, the Summit provided a powerful platform for lived experience to inform systems change.

This work would not have been possible without funders and supporters who shared a commitment to meaningful youth participation, ensuring that the entire programme was built on strong foundations.

Chris Goulden, Deputy CEO at Youth Futures Foundation, said,“With more than a million young people now not in education, employment or training, the need for tailored, joined-up support has rarely been clearer.

Through Youth Futures’ Evidence into Action programme, we’re focused on turning what we know works into real change on the ground – connecting evidence, direct experience and local delivery. We know evidence alone doesn’t shift outcomes; it’s how it’s applied in practice that makes the difference.

That’s why initiatives like the Joined Up Institute matter. They bring together young people, practitioners and leaders to shape solutions that are rooted in place, proven in practice, and able to spread.”

From Summit to Institute

The Joined Up Institute emerged directly from the Summit, co-designed with local young people and stakeholders in early 2025. Building on this momentum and learning, the pilot launched in October 2025, marking the start of an exciting new chapter in cross-sector collaboration to support young people across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland.

The Institute brings together individuals from across education, health, youth work, youth justice, sport, social care, housing, and beyond – all united by a shared goal: to bridge the gaps between services and create better outcomes for young people. More than 100 organisations across health, education, local government, housing, and other sectors have sent representatives to take part in this pilot.

Championing youth voice remains a core priority of the Institute. 10% of participants are young leaders, taking part as equals alongside professionals from other sectors. Not only are their voices influential within the programme, but these young people are also catalysts for driving this work forward beyond the pilot.

At our first event, our keynote speaker, Hoor Pathan, from Leicester, who was also one of our original co-designers, welcomed the participants with a powerful call to action:

“This Institute is about connection. About breaking down silos between sectors and building relationships rooted in trust, understanding, and a shared purpose. Having been co-designed together with young people and partners from various youth-facing sectors across Leicester, it’s about professionals, communities and young people learning from one another; so that when a young person in Leicester reaches out, they’re met by a joined-up, preventative, human response. That’s why I’m here – because I’ve seen what happens when people come together across boundaries. It’s not always neat, but it’s powerful. It’s people-powered change in action.”   

The JUI programme includes three in-person events, alongside Communities of Practice focused on key themes identified by the group:

Young people’s transitions at 17–18
Equitable access to opportunities
Mental health and “waiting well”
Safety, belonging, and social cohesion
Connecting the dots

The second event focused on strengthening Fellow’s understanding of what already works across different sectors. Drawing on established approaches and practical examples that can be adapted and scaled, young people continue to play an important role in sharing their perspectives and shaping the work

In June, the group will meet for a final event focused on Turning Shared Learning into Collective Action with young people making the decisions to award additional funding to the Communities of Practice to support their ongoing sustainability beyond the programme itself.

“What I’m really excited about this event is that we’re taking all the learning that’s happened in the programme so far and trying to channel into real collective action,” said Finn, lead designer of the JUI. They continued, “I think this is going to be a really interactive and participant-led event. It’s really a space to showcase what Fellows have been doing and it’s going to be led by Fellows as well. So it’s really about collaborating on solutions, not just listening.”

Thora Eberts, Director of Network Delivery at UK Youth, said, “The success of the JUI pilot reinforces one of our core beliefs, that meaningful youth participation is essential at every stage of decision making. From supporting the consultation of young people to inform the Government’s new National Youth Strategy, to ensuring young people have a strong voice within their local communities, youth voice helps build systems that truly work for our young people.”