By the Senior Leadership Team at Peer Power Youth
At Peer Power Youth, empathy isn’t an add-on, it’s our foundation. It’s how we show up, how we lead and how we build with young people. We believe empathy is a radical act, and one that can transform services, systems and lives.
For too long, children and young people who’ve experienced trauma, have been failed by the very systems designed to support them. That’s why, alongside young people involved in our work, we’ve co-created a bold new strategy to guide us from 2025 to 2029. This strategy is rooted in empathy, equity and ethical youth voice practice.
We want to see transformation in the services that support young people at a preventative level, so children and young people get better help, when they first need it. It is a shared commitment to fairer futures through youth-led, compassionate and relational youth support services, shaped by those who have lived experience of the systems we are impacting.
Our strategy has three priorities:
This strategy was co-created across our community; with young people (in the community and those living away from home), our team, trustees and allies. It reflects what we’ve heard directly from young leaders, who are working with us to improve the services they were once in.
Young people tell us that these services don’t always listen and respond to their experiences. They say that these services can feel out of reach, without trusted relationships, and can sometimes be harmful.
We know that young people need to see their strengths and understand that they matter. We work with them to achieve this by being consistent, building trust and genuine relationships. This creates a safe space to spark confidence and unlock their leadership skills.
As a leadership team, we are committed to working like this internally as well – making space for openness, shared decision-making and accountability in how we lead.
We’re here to build something different: systems that heal, not harm.
We’re proud of our journey so far. Over 1,000 young people and 7,000 professionals have been part of our work. 92% of young people involved are in education, training, or employment within six months. We’ve seen first-hand how the power of empathy-led approaches can transform lives and shift systems.
But we’re not done yet. Across the UK we’re seeing over-stretched services and rising inequality, so our work is more vital than ever. We are calling on funders, policymakers, and service leaders to join us in placing empathy, healing and ethical youth voice practice at the centre of every system that touches young lives.
Because if we centre professional love, equity and youth voice, we won’t just imagine a better future, we’ll create it.
Together, We Transform.
You can read the full strategy here.
You can see an accessible version here.
About Peer Power Youth
Peer Power Youth is a national charity supporting young people aged 13-25, who have dealt with childhood trauma. They have been affected by abuse, exclusion or violence impacting their communities, and have experience in health, youth justice and care services.
The young people that we work with have described themselves as being ‘abandoned by society’. Despite their circumstances, we see their power and potential. We do vital work to support these young people in their journey and improve the youth justice and care services they were once in for the benefit of other young peers. That’s why we focus on both individual change and system change.
Our Individual change work – We offer young people support in training, education, professional experience and promote positive wellbeing.
Our System change work – We work with young people to create real change for others in health, justice and social services.
Keep up with the latest on empathy, co-production and youth-led system change.
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