Young Voices, Stronger Systems: Why Youth Participation Must Be at the Heart of Local Food Partnerships

A new report from Barnardo’s and Co-op, Deeper Roots, Stronger Futures: Unlocking the Potential of Food Partnerships with Young People, highlights the untapped potential in local food systems that can be unlocked through meaningful engagement with young people.

Local food partnerships—collaborative networks of councils, charities, communities, businesses, and public services—are already delivering vital work to tackle food insecurity, climate change, public health, and local economic resilience. But this work could be even more impactful with young people brought fully into the conversation.

Where Are We Now?

The report reveals that, across the UK:

• Just 54% of UK local councils are currently part of a food partnership

• Only 28% of those partnerships are delivering specific benefits for young people

• And just 13% involve young people in designing or delivering food initiatives

These figures don’t reflect a lack of ambition or care. Instead, they speak to a broader systemic gap: one in which young people often face barriers to participation and food partnerships are not always resourced or supported to reach them.

This is a missed opportunity—not just for young people, but for our food system as a whole. Without young people’s voices at the table, we risk missing the mark. As Barnardo’s Chief Executive Lynn Perry MBE puts it:

“Young people have powerful ideas, real insights, and lived experiences that can help shape food systems that actually meet their needs. But they are too often excluded from the conversation.”

The report doesn’t just highlight the problem—it offers practical solutions. It lays out 10 steps developed by Barnardo’s Youth Advisory Group to help food partnerships meaningfully involve young people:

1. Understand needs and barriers – Work with young people to listen and learn.

2. Use existing networks – Connect with schools, youth groups and colleges.

3. Be clear on purpose – Young people need to see the value of their involvement.

4. Meet them where they are – Physically go into the spaces where they already gather.

5. Make it hands-on – Prioritise interactive, practical activities.

6. Offer leadership – Give real decision-making power, not tokenistic roles.

7. Be flexible – Consider timing, location, and accessibility.

8. Recognise contributions – Celebrate and reward their efforts.

9. Show the impact – Feedback how their voice shaped outcomes.

10. Build long-term relationships – Commit to continuous, not one-off, engagement.

👉 Read the full report and guidance

Examples to Learn From

The report also showcases promising examples of youth engagement already underway in some areas:

• In Wales, local food partnerships benefit from national government recognition and support, with policy frameworks that include clear commitments to youth participation.

• In Northern Ireland, councils have embedded young people in food resilience planning in response to cost-of-living challenges.

• Hull Food Partnership runs healthy eating workshops through existing youth clubs—using trusted spaces to make sessions more engaging and impactful.

• Bristol Good Food Partnership involves young people through paid ambassador roles, enabling them to lead on food justice campaigns and influence policy.

These examples prove what’s possible when local food strategies are shaped with young people, not just for them.

What Needs to Happen Next

Barnardo’s and Co-op are calling on all parts of the system to step up:

• Government should commit, through its forthcoming National Food Strategy, to ensuring a food partnership in every local area by 2030—embedding youth participation as a core component.

• Local Authorities should support new and existing partnerships in their areas, and use the report’s 10-step framework to actively involve young people in decision-making.

• Businesses and Charities should connect with local food partnerships and help amplify young voices—whether through mentoring, funding, volunteering, or platforming youth-led ideas.

At Sustainable Food Places, we know that local food strategies work best when they’re inclusive, co-produced and long-term. With more than 120 partnerships across the UK, there’s huge potential to scale youth engagement and embed it into the future of place-based food change.

Because the future of food belongs to the next generation. They deserve not only to be heard—but to be leading.

Read the full report: Deeper Roots, Stronger Futures – Barnardo’s & Co-op
Explore the interactive map: Where food partnerships are reaching young people
More on this from The Big Issue: Young people speak out on food poverty and the cost-of-living crisis