This group’s KEY+ journey has been all about progression – taking on bigger challenges, stepping outside their comfort zones, and discovering strengths they didn’t know they had.

They began with Stage 1, planning a reward trip to Infinite Air for younger youth club members. This was their first chance to take the lead and do something positive for others.

In Stage 2, they teamed up with another youth club to explore a trip to Blackpool Pleasure Beach. They looked into coaches, ticket prices, travel times, fundraising ideas and what activities were most popular. It pushed their planning skills further and showed them what collaboration really looks like.

But everything built towards Stage 3, where the group took on their biggest challenge yet: planning a set of activities for each group in their youth club. This meant coming up with ideas, researching options, gathering opinions from others, making final decisions and looking at risk assessments, safeguarding plans and itineraries. They stepped into genuine leadership roles – using their voices, taking responsibility and guiding others through the process.

As they moved through each stage, their confidence grew. Reflecting on the journey, one young person explained: “At first, we were all very nervous to work together but towards the end we all got to know each other. We put our communication skills together [and] we developed important skills that will help us in the future.”

Taking on a bigger budget in Stage 3 brought new challenges: “It was quite tricky because a thousand pound can get you a lot and it was tricky figuring out different bits… it took a lot of resilience.”

They also had some challenges with getting a final decision for the activities because the different youth club members wanted to do different things, the group explained the importance of having patience: “It takes a lot of patience and giving the young people a bit more time.”

Despite the challenges, they were incredibly proud of what they had achieved together, particularly their teamwork. The facilitator also noted how their confidence had transformed, and the group agreed, saying they now “practically run” their Friday youth club sessions. They had grown into leaders and role models, feeling more comfortable to speak up and take the lead.

One young person also shared how proud they were to get a job interview and believed it was thanks to the skills and experiences they gained through the KEY+ Challenge.

When asked what advice they’d give to other young people doing the KEY+ Challenge, they said: “go for it, it’s great meeting new people and gaining new skills you never thought you had.” Another group member shared: “If it goes wrong the first time, persevere with it, not everything is going to happen the first time, it might take multiple attempts.” And another said: “Just be yourself. If you can be yourself, you can come out of your comfort zone.”

Through each stage of KEY+, this group found their voice, built their resilience and discovered new skills. And most importantly, they learned what they’re capable of and how powerful they can be when they work together.