Children's services
Young people help shape a more inclusive Walsall at 2026 Youth Summit
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Young people from across Walsall headed to Walsall Arena and Arts Centre on Thursday 13 August to share their ideas, experiences and recommendations for creating a more inclusive borough for children and young people.
This year’s Youth Summit, themed "Include Me", focused on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), giving young people the opportunity to influence conversations about education, community life and support services. Coinciding with national discussions on SEND reform and taking place during the week of International Youth Day, the event highlighted the importance of ensuring young voices help shape local services and future support.
Planned and delivered by young people, the summit welcomed children and young people aged 9 to 18 (and up to 25 with SEND), alongside professionals from education, health, community and voluntary sector organisations. Through a series of interactive workshops and activities, participants explored what inclusion means to them and identified practical ways schools, services and communities can better support children and young people to learn, participate and thrive.
Key discussion topics included:
What helps young people achieve their best in education
What makes it easier to seek support
What inclusion means from a young person's perspective
How schools, services and communities can become more welcoming and accessible
Advice for school leaders on creating inclusive learning environments
“ Our annual youth summit provides a valuable opportunity for young people to share their views on the issues that matter most to them and their peers.
This is the third year the summit has taken place, and recommendations from previous events have helped shape services across the borough. Events like this help us to listen, learn and make meaningful improvements, and puts young people's voices at the heart of decision-making.
Thank you to all the young people who took part and contributed their ideas. Their feedback will help us continue building a borough where every child and young person feels valued, supported and included." “
As part of the programme, attendees took part in a range of workshops, including an inclusive classroom session and a creative consultation with arts charity RicNic to help develop a character story for a future Walsall Hippo Trail.
Feedback gathered during the summit will now be collated and will inform future service development and partnership working across Walsall.
Ends
Notes to editors
The annual Youth Summit forms part of Walsall Council's commitment to ensuring children and young people can influence decisions that affect their lives and futures.
The event plays an important role in shaping the We Are Walsall 2040 vision, which aims to create a child-friendly borough where children and young people are happy, healthy, safe and able to achieve their full potential by 2040.
More information about We Are Walsall 2040, including the Children and Young People's Strategy, is available at: https://wearewalsall2040.walsall.gov.uk/
