All posts by : Shirley Jackson

As part of the KAILO programme in Havering, young people have been working together to explore the issues that most affect their wellbeing, safety, and experiences within their community. Through a series of workshops, the group has been identifying the areas where they believe real change could make the biggest difference for young people.

Rather than simply discussing problems, the programme encourages young people to look deeper at the systems around them — exploring not only the visible issues but also the patterns, structures, and beliefs that influence them. This approach helps young people move beyond identifying challenges and towards developing meaningful solutions.

During recent sessions, participants reviewed the range of potential change areas they had identified together. Using a structured activity, the group worked through a series of steps to decide which issue should become the main focus of their project. Young people began by voting individually for the areas they felt were most important, ensuring that every voice in the room was heard from the outset.

The most supported ideas were then explored in small groups, where participants discussed key questions including:

• Why this issue matters for young people
• Whether meaningful change would be realistic
• How young people’s voices could help shape solutions

Each group then shared short “lightning pitches,” presenting their thoughts and insights to the wider group. Finally, young people used a scoring system to evaluate each change area based on factors such as impact, feasibility, and the level of energy and motivation within the group to tackle the issue.

This process helped the group move from a broad list of concerns to a clear, shared priority, ensuring that the final decision reflected the perspectives and experiences of the young people involved.

Once the priority change area had been selected, the group began the next stage of the programme: visioning the future. Through creative activities such as vision boards, young people explored what a positive future could look like if meaningful change was achieved. They considered how young people would feel, how systems and services might work differently, and what success would look like for their community.

One of the most powerful aspects of this process has been seeing how the young people have come together as a group, supporting each other’s ideas and recognising that many of their experiences are shared. As the sessions have progressed, participants have grown in confidence, speaking openly about the challenges they face while also contributing thoughtful and creative ideas about how change could happen.

By working collaboratively and using structured tools to guide their thinking, the group is now moving forward with a clear focus and a shared vision for positive change.

The next stage of the programme will involve developing practical ideas and exploring how these visions can begin to translate into real improvements for young people across Havering.

Key Outcomes from the Change Area Process

• Young people identified and explored multiple issues affecting their wellbeing
• A structured decision-making process ensured every voice contributed
• Participants evaluated change areas based on impact, feasibility, and youth influence
• The group agreed on a shared priority area for change
• Young people began imagining positive future solutions through visioning activities

Session 7 of the KAILO programme marked an important milestone as the group worked together to agree their final priority area for change and began shaping their vision for what a better future could look like for young people. The session began with a review of feedback from the Big Circle, alongside the change areas the group had been exploring during previous sessions. This helped participants reflect on the different issues affecting young people’s wellbeing and consider where their ideas and experiences could have the greatest impact.

To support the decision-making process, the group took part in a structured voting and discussion activity. Young people first voted individually for the change areas they felt were most important. The remaining options were then explored in small groups, where participants discussed key questions around impact, feasibility, and the role of youth voice in shaping solutions.

Each group then presented short “lightning pitches,” explaining why their chosen area mattered and how change might be possible. Through open discussion and a final scoring process, the group collectively agreed on their priority change area, demonstrating strong collaboration and respect for each other’s perspectives.

Following the decision, the session moved into an exciting visioning activity. Working in small teams, young people created vision boards that illustrated what the future could look like if meaningful change was achieved in the chosen area. Using creative materials and discussion, they explored ideas for environments, opportunities, and support systems that would improve wellbeing for young people.

The activity sparked a great deal of energy and creativity within the room. As the young people shared their vision boards, it was clear that the group had begun to come together with a shared purpose, building on each other’s ideas and imagining practical ways that change could happen.

The session concluded with a discussion about next steps, including whether additional voices or external expertise might help strengthen the ideas being developed. Young people were encouraged to continue thinking about how their visions could begin to translate into real solutions before the next session.

This session represented a key turning point in the programme, as the group moved from exploring problems to actively designing the future they want to see for young people in Havering.

During Session 5 of the KAILO programme, young people came together to take an important step forward in shaping the issues they believe need real change within their community.

Building on the discussions from previous sessions, the group reviewed the different “system icebergs” they had created. These helped them explore not just the visible problems affecting young people’s wellbeing, but also the deeper patterns, structures, and beliefs that sit underneath them. Working in small groups, participants carefully discussed and prioritised the issues they felt had the greatest impact on young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

Using a simple but powerful voting activity, young people placed stars on the issues they believed mattered most. This sparked thoughtful conversations as they debated where meaningful change could happen and what problems should be tackled first.

The session then moved into identifying “pressure points” – areas where small changes could potentially create a much bigger positive impact. Young people explored different aspects of the system, including repeated events, patterns of behaviour, rules and structures, and the beliefs that influence how young people are treated or supported.

One of the most encouraging aspects of the session was seeing how the group worked collaboratively and respectfully, listening to each other’s experiences and perspectives. As the discussion progressed, it became clear that the young people were coming together with a shared sense of purpose, recognising that many of their experiences were connected and that their voices could help influence change.

By the end of the session, the group had successfully shortlisted several potential change areas that they believe could make a real difference. They also developed a series of important questions to help them explore these issues further and decide which area should become their main focus moving forward.

The session ended with a reflective discussion about what information they still need, what adults and services might know that young people don’t, and how young people themselves can play a leading role in shaping solutions.

As the programme continues, these insights will help guide the next stage of the work, where the group will share their thinking with a wider audience and continue developing ideas that could lead to real improvements for young people in Havering.

Date: 28 January 2026
Time: 4:30pm – 7:00pm
Location: Youth Unity / Kailo session space

Session focus

In Session 4, the group continued their system-mapping work, building on the 5 Whys and root-cause analysis from the previous week. The aim was to move beyond individual experiences and explore the patterns, structures and beliefs that sit underneath the issues young people face — particularly around belonging, safety and opportunity.

This session used the Systems Iceberg model to help young people understand how visible events are shaped by deeper, often hidden, factors.

What we set out to do

The aims of this session were to:

• Help young people see how the issues they identified link to wider systems

• Explore patterns and structures that repeatedly affect their lives

• Deepen earlier discussions rather than rushing to solutions

• Ensure no important issues were missed from the group’s mind-mapping work

By slowing the process down, the group were encouraged to think critically about why challenges keep happening — not just what happens.

Check-in and reflection

We began with a simple one-word check-in, giving each young person space to reflect on how they were arriving that day. This helped ground the group and acknowledge that everyone brings different experiences into the room.

The group then revisited photographs they had shared previously, using them as prompts to discuss:

• Why they chose that image

• Whether it represented something positive or something that needs to change

• How it connected to the issues on the shared maps

This discussion helped bridge personal experience with collective understanding.

Building on last week’s work

Young people revisited the mind maps, problem statements and icebergs created in Session 3. Individually, they reflected on which issue they felt most strongly about and whether it had already been explored in depth.

They were invited to:

• Add to existing icebergs where deeper discussion was needed

• Identify new issues that hadn’t yet been examined

• Use post-its to capture thoughts without pressure to speak immediately

This approach ensured quieter voices were included and gave the group ownership over what was prioritised.

Mapping the system: going deeper

Facilitators introduced the idea that most of what we see is only the “tip of the iceberg.” Beneath visible events sit recurring patterns, structural issues and shared beliefs that keep problems in place.

Working in small groups, young people:

• Created new system icebergs from problem statements

• Added deeper layers to existing icebergs

• Used prompt questions to explore structures and mindsets shaping their experiences

Groups were split across different spaces, allowing focused discussion while keeping the energy manageable.

Sharing and connecting the dots

After a break, the group came back together to share their icebergs. As they listened to each other, young people began to notice strong overlaps:

• Repeated structural barriers appearing across different issues

• Similar beliefs and assumptions shaping multiple challenges

• Connections between school, community, services and wider society

The group were asked a key question:
“If you could shift one thing in this system to make the biggest difference, what would it be?”

This helped move thinking from description towards insight — without jumping prematurely to solutions.

Reflections and next steps

The session closed with a collective reflection on what had emerged and what it means for the next phase of the Kailo project. Young people recognised that many challenges they face are not individual failings, but the result of systems that were not designed with them in mind.

The insights from this session will directly inform:

• The project’s emerging themes

• Youth-led recommendations

• Future sessions focused on change, influence and action

Why this matters

Session 4 marked an important turning point — shifting from naming problems to understanding systems. This deeper analysis is essential to ensuring that the voices of young people lead to meaningful, informed change rather than surface-level responses.