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More Than a Conference: A Blueprint for Engaging Young People in Youth Service

Pat Shelley, Head of Stoke Youth Services at the time, set out with a clear objective: To build a strategy grounded in real insight from young people and youth workers, not assumptions.


The challenge wasn’t just what to ask.


It was how to get people to show up, engage, and contribute meaningfully.


The Objective

  • Understand where the service was

  • Understand what had changed in young people’s lives

  • Identify what was actually needed moving forward


Not assumptions. Real insight.


The Challenge

Young people don’t engage with things that feel:

  • Institutional

  • Predictable

  • Irrelevant


So the first hurdle wasn’t strategy. It getting young people to attend,


The Approach

1. Host it at a Venue that Signals Value and Design the Environment to Create excitement


Britannia Stadium (Stoke City FC) Instant relevance. Instant interest.


Not just a venue a signal, “This matters. This is worth showing up for.”

But the real shift wasn’t just where it was held…It was how the environment was used to shape behaviour.


2. Create a Theme That Pulls Young People In

Airport Experience

  • Invites → Boarding passes

  • Information → Passports

  • Arrival → Check-in

  • Sessions → Departures


This was designed behaviour.

Curiosity ↑ → Energy ↑ → Participation ↑ Click to watch video of the conference






3. Structure the Day for Contribution

  • Reflect on where the service is

  • Explore real community change

  • Run co-creation workshops

  • Build energy through shared moments


Together we listened, shaped and built together






Why It Worked

  • Young people felt part of something big, not talked at

  • Youth workers became facilitators, not presenters

  • The environment removed resistance

  • Conversations became honest


The Outcome

  • Clearer understanding of real needs

  • Stronger connection between services and young people

  • Shared ownership of direction

  • A strategy grounded in reality with accountability


The Blueprint

If you’re leading a youth service:

Don’t just ask for engagement. Design for it.

  • Choose a venue that excites

  • Create a theme that sparks curiosity

  • Build an experience, not a meeting

  • Give young people real ownership


Final Thought

This wasn’t about a conference.

It was about leadership with vision.


When you design the right environment, engagement isn’t forced, it happens.


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