Report: Wavemakers

Wavemakers is a developing youth-led project from Healthwatch Wiltshire, designed to put young people’s voices at the heart of shaping local services

What people told us

• Across all age groups, concerns about belonging were central. Younger pupils spoke about friendships, bullying and fear of being judged. 
• Older students described deeper worries about identity, relationships and whether they are worthy of care and connection.
• Mental health was raised consistently across all settings, including fear, anxiety, self harm and eating issues.
• Academic pressure increases significantly from ages 12-13 onwards. By GCSEs and post‑16 education, exams are experienced not just as assessments of learning, but as judgments about future success, self‑worth and identity.
• Many young people are carrying responsibilities traditionally associated with adulthood. This includes worrying about family illness, employment and emotional wellbeing.
• Young people repeatedly highlighted gaps in health knowledge and access to early support, asking basic but important questions about their bodies and wellbeing.
• As young people get older, personal worries increasingly overlap with fear about the wider world - violence, safety and global events shaping how secure they feel in everyday life and as they move into adulthood.

Download our full report below.

Next steps

Throughout this engagement, young people did not only tell us what was wrong. They told us they want to be listened to, to understand what is happening to their bodies and minds, and to be trusted to shape conversations with their peers.

Many also spoke about wanting confidence, experience and support to navigate adulthood - not just advice from afar.

Building on this, Healthwatch Wiltshire will continue to develop the Wavemakers project as a peer‑led approach to engagement, alongside practical opportunities that build confidence, skills and experience.