“You’re not always heard. You’re listened to, but you’re not heard.” Young person

Across the UK, thousands of young people are navigating life on the margins. Those in care, in temporary accommodation, struggling with school systems that don’t work for them, or facing mental health challenges without adequate support. They are experts in their own lives. But too often, they are not heard.

In policy meetings, planning sessions, and service designs, their voices are missing.

And when voices are missing, needs go unmet.

What’s the cost of not listening? And what’s the value of being heard?

When we fail to listen to young people, especially those already facing structural disadvantage, we risk doing real harm:

• Services are created around assumptions, not lived experiences.
• Opportunities are missed to prevent crisis through early intervention.
• Young people are further alienated from systems that are meant to support them.
• Trust is lost.

But there’s another layer we often miss:

What happens for a young person when they are truly heard.

“Sometimes you don’t even know what you think till you say it out loud. Speaking up helped me understand what needed to change, not just for others but for me too.” Young person

Being given the space and safety to speak can be a transformational experience. It can help young people reflect, build confidence, and feel a sense of agency. It’s not just about collecting insights for services; it’s about supporting self-understanding and growth.

It’s not just about listening, it’s about listening with intent, and creating spaces where speaking is met with action.

Unheard voices: who are we talking about?

While every young person deserves to be heard, some are more systematically silenced:

• Young people in the care system
• Those labelled with SEND or behavioural challenges
• Autistic and neurodivergent youth
• Young people from minority groups
• LGBTQ+ youth without affirming environments
• Those affected by homelessness, bereavement, or family breakdown

These categories often intersect and it’s at the intersections that voices can be most easily overlooked.

Unheard doesn’t mean unwilling to speak. Often, it means that the structures around a young person haven’t made speaking feel safe, worthwhile, or impactful.

The role of the third sector: creating spaces for voice and change

In many cases, it’s charities and grassroots organisations that do the most meaningful listening. These are the spaces where young people are heard not as case studies, but as co-creators.

Third sector organisations:

• Run youth-led advisory groups and co-production panels
• Provide trusted relationships with key workers and mentors
• Create safe, affirming spaces for expression through art, storytelling, activism, and more
• Advocate for systemic change based on real, grounded experience

They are the bridge between unheard voices and systems that need to hear them.

But this work is often precarious, underfunded, over-relied upon, and driven by frontline staff who go above and beyond daily. Listening isn’t free. It requires time, care, and commitment.

If we want to hear young people, we need to invest in the spaces that make that possible.

What next? Start listening, start changing

If we want to make space for unheard voices, we need to do more than just acknowledge the gap. Here are some simple, meaningful ways you can start today:

• Make space in your meetings for youth input. Even one question or quote from a young person can shift the conversation.
• Challenge assumptions. Next time someone speaks about young people, ask if they’ve spoken with them.
• Use your platform to amplify their words, whether it’s social media, a team newsletter, or a board meeting.
• Support third sector organisations who centre youth voice. Volunteer, donate, collaborate, or simply share their work.
• Really listen; not for what fits your agenda, but for what matters to them.

Small actions create cultural shifts. It starts with listening like it matters, because it does.