From an Empty Room to a Youth Forum: The First Steps of Wrecsam2029’s Young Voice
Eleven young people, one empty room and the beginnings of something important. We look back at the first Wrecsam2029 Youth Forum meeting and what it really takes to build genuine youth voice.
2 min read
There is a big difference between saying you want young people involved and actually giving them space to influence what happens.
When Done Together CIC was asked to coordinate the Wrecsam2029 Youth Forum, we knew the first meeting mattered. Get it wrong and it could easily feel like another adult-led consultation, with young people sitting around a table while somebody worked through an agenda.
Nobody needed that.
The first session took place at The Lab in Eagles Meadow. We had 11 young people in the room, most of whom had never met before. There was no established group and no guarantee that everyone would feel comfortable speaking.
So we did not begin with formal introductions or ask people to explain, one by one, why they were there. Being put on the spot in a room full of strangers is not a great way to help anyone settle.
We started gently. There was time to arrive, get some food, look around and work out who else was in the room. People could join conversations when they felt ready.
That may sound like a small detail, but it is not. The first half-hour of a session can decide whether somebody comes back.
Starting with something practical
Natasha Borton from Dirty Protest Theatre joined us to lead a creative workshop. It gave the group something to focus on while they began talking about Wrecsam, culture and the city’s UK City of Culture 2029 bid.
This worked far better than handing out blank sheets headed, “What does culture mean to you?”
Culture is one of those words adults use constantly while assuming everyone means the same thing. They do not.
For some people, culture means theatre, galleries and major events. For others, it is music, food, gaming, football, fashion, family traditions or the places they spend time with friends.
The forum needs room for all of that.
Some young people spoke straight away. Others listened, watched and joined in later. Both are valid ways of taking part.
A group does not become youth-led overnight
It would be easy to say the room was immediately buzzing with ideas, but real life is rarely that tidy.
People were still working one another out. Some were naturally louder. Some needed more time. There were pauses, side conversations and moments when we adjusted what we were doing.
That is normal.
A group does not become youth-led because the words “Youth Forum” appear on a poster. Trust has to be built. Young people need to see that their time is valued and that what they say will not disappear into notes nobody reads.
They also need to know that disagreement is allowed.
The forum should not exist to give the Wrecsam2029 bid a youthful stamp of approval. It should be able to question ideas, point out gaps and say when something does not feel relevant or accessible.
Otherwise, it is decoration rather than participation.
Making the connection count
Morgan Thomas joined the session to talk about Wrecsam2029 and explain where the Youth Forum fits within the wider bid. Mike Corcoran, a Wrecsam2029 trustee, was also involved in supporting the group’s development.
Those connections matter, but the relationship has to work both ways.
Young people need access to the people shaping the bid. The people shaping the bid also need to hear directly from young people, without every comment being softened into professional language first.
Our job is to support that process, not decide what the young people are supposed to think.
The first meeting did not give us a finished Youth Forum. It gave us the beginnings of one.
Eleven young people arrived at The Lab as individuals. They left knowing more about one another, the Wrecsam2029 bid and why their voices could matter.
The room was no longer empty.
Now the job is to make sure Wrecsam listens.
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