Listening Louder: A Year of Growth, Impact and Looking Forward with Our Voices
Over the last twelve months, Our Voices has continued to grow as a space where young people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have their voices heard and influence the mental health system.
What began as a youth advisory group for YOUnited in 2022 has evolved into a collaborative community of young advisors who meet regularly, both online and in person, to have their say, co-create resources, and influence services. It’s a space filled with creativity, kindness, and honest conversations; this year has been no different. Below are some of our key achievements and plans for the future. You can also read the full 2025 Our Voices Impact Report.
Building Resources, Together
A major highlight this year was the launch of the online wellbeing toolkit, Help You Help Them, a resource entirely shaped by young people for young people. Developed in response to young people saying they would like more guidance when supporting struggling friends, the toolkit is practical and empathetic.
From content creation to tone of voice, from website design to launch planning, young people were involved in every step. And it shows: with over 4,500 visits since its launch in September, and a high proportion of users accessing it via direct links and QR codes, it’s clear that peer-led tools like this resonate. This wasn’t just a project, it was an act of care turned into action.
Being Seen, Being Heard
This year, Our Voices was promoted at freshers' fairs, youth events, and school safeguarding conferences, connecting with over 500 young people and professionals. Our young advisors also helped shape and redesign outreach materials, suggesting everything from new banners to branded stickers to better reflect the group’s energy and identity.
Young people’s feedback speaks volumes:
“It’s made me feel more confident.”
“I have friends now.”
“It has significantly improved my mental health and given me something to do.”
“I feel like my voice has some sort of impact.”
Reminders of what happens when we make space for young people’s voices and treat them as partners, not passengers.
Our Voices members and facilitators at August 2024 meet up
Looking Ahead
We’ll be continuing to grow Help You Help Them, refining our social media and digital presence, and exploring new ways to make co-production more accessible wherever young people are. And we’ll keep listening, learning, and building the system with young people, not just around them.
As Fullscope and the wider system around us continue to evolve, so too must Our Voices. In the year ahead, we’ll be taking time to reflect on what Our Voices is now and what it could become, to ensure it continues to have meaningful impact and sustained influence across the mental health and wellbeing landscape.
This isn’t just about keeping pace. It’s about deepening our commitment to co-production, ensuring that young people remain central to shaping not only services, but also the structures that support them. Together with our partners and young advisors, we’ll be exploring how Our Voices can grow in ways that are relevant, responsive, and rooted in the values that have guided us from the start.
Our Voices remains, above all, a reminder that when young people are given real opportunities to lead, they do so with compassion, creativity, and courage.
Let’s keep listening louder. If you are a young person or professional email getinvolved@fullscopecollaboration.org.uk to find out how you can get involved.
Read more about the Help You Help Them project
Read our 2024/25 Our Voices Report
Read more about Fullscope’s Framework for Involving Children, Young People and Families