On Thursday 20th November 2025, World Children’s Day,160 professionals and young people from across Berkshire West came together for the Young Voices Second Annual Safety Summit. Representatives attended from 9 local schools, Reading Borough Council, Wokingham Borough Council, West Berkshire Council, Thames Valley Police, Reading Buses, The Oracle Shopping Centre, the office of MP Yuan Yang, and several organisations and charities that work with young people.
Thanks to funding from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, and sponsorship from local business, Archway Business Solutions, the planning, shaping and hosting of the event was achieved by 16 local young people aged 15-20. These young people are part of the Young Voices group, who use their lived and living experience to campaign, raise awareness, and participate and influence decision making locally. They are supported by Carly Newman, the Operations and Relationships Manager at No5 Young People who leads the group, along with Sarah Gardner, Community Safety Manager at Reading Borough Council, and Simon Ray, Creative Lead at Starting Point (part of The Mustard Tree Foundation).
The theme of the event, ‘See Me as Me’, focused on encouraging professionals to see young people as individuals rather than a collective group or as the ‘issue’, with key takeaways answering ‘what adults need to know’ and ‘what adults need to ask’. These questions built on the inaugural summit on the 20th of November 2024 with a focus on Online Safety.
Attendees took part in workshops, roundtable discussions, and a Q&A panel all of which focused on Violence Against Women and Girls, Exploitation, Hate Crime and Bullying, and Reporting of Crimes. These were the four topics highlighted as concerns in the over 800 responses from local young people to the Young Voices Annual Safety Survey which was open this summer.
Across these activities, young people were empowered to share their lived experience with the professionals in the room, bringing to light the real life impact these issues have on the lives of local young people, and help answer ‘What adults need to know’ and ‘what adults need to ask’ in order to best to support young people.
Feedback received, to date, from the event highlighted that 83% of professionals felt the summit has changed their mind and made them think differently on the four topics highlighted throughout the day, as well as making them reflect on their past experiences.
When asked about what they would like the focus to be next year, 100% of professionals replied with this being something that Young Voices and local young people should decide, demonstrating professionals trust, dedication and enthusiasm to hear and learn from local young people and their experiences.
“It was an absolute privilege to support the Young Voices Summit. The event was incredibly powerful in highlighting what adults need to know in order to support young people, but the most exciting aspect was witnessing how empowered, articulate and creative young people in Reading are at voicing their reality and the changes they want to see. Reading’s Community Safety Partnership is committed to continuing to support Young Voices to work alongside decision-makers to create safer experiences and environments for everyone.” – Sarah Gardner, Community Safety Manager, Reading Borough Council
“Wokingham Borough Council was excited to take part in the second Young Voices Summit on 20th November, World Children’s Day. The work of Young Voices shone through, and it was a unique opportunity to work with children on issues related to crime prevention and safety, that had identified as their priorities. We are keen to create space for children in Wokingham to have a similar opportunity to help shape the priorities for the Wokingham Community Safety Partnership and to work collaboratively with Reading and West Berkshire on matters of mutual interest to help keep our communities safe.” Councillor Louise Timlin – Executive Member for Community Safety and Public Protection, Wokingham Borough Council
“At the Young Voices Summit, Wokingham Borough Council’s Community Safety Team proudly supported the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) forum theatre production. This interactive session tackled misogynistic attitudes head-on, using real-life scenarios to spark discussion and reflection. Through the power of theatre, young people explored the impact of harmful behaviours and learned practical bystander intervention strategies, empowering them to challenge inappropriate conduct and support peers safely. Our aim is to foster a culture of respect and equality, ensuring every voice contributes to a safer community.
Wokingham Borough Council’s Community Safety Team supported the delivery of virtual education with a real-world insight and interactive VR experience. Using the headsets, students were immersed into a real-life situation, where they followed the consequences of life choices depicted around exploitation, raising awareness and giving the students support in their ongoing decision making.” – Community Safety Team, Wokingham Borough Council
“This is the second Youth Summit that I have attended, and I continue to be impressed with the passion and confidence which the children from Young Voices display in the running and facilitating of the event. I learnt a lot from school pupils from Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire during the workshops that I attended – especially in relation to bullying and violence against women and girls. In my role as Violence Reduction Co-ordinator for West Berkshire, I can bring that learning back to West Berkshire and build on our ability to listen to what local children want us to do to continue to keep them safe.”– Lindsey Upton – Serious Violence Reduction Co-Ordinator, West Berkshire Council
We have made public the resource library, containing support and signposting for young people, as well as further learning and signposting for professionals. You can access the resource here.
