'What about the Boys?' conference returning to Blackpool's Village Hotel for eighth year
“This is therefore more than a conference -it is an opportunity to connect people, share learning and build relationships.”
A conference addressing challenges faced by young men on the Fylde coast is returning this month for its eighth year.
The What About the Boys? conference will explore how local communities can better support boys and young men.
Coordinated by the Blackpool-based United Youth Alliance in partnership with colleagues from the Coastal Youth Alliance Partnership, it will bring together practitioners, academics, community leaders and young people from across the Fylde coast and beyond to look at key issues.
This year’s event will take place at The Village Hotel Blackpool, off East Park Drive, on Thursday, November 19 from 9am until 4.30pm.
Since its launch seven years ago, the conference has provided an important platform to listen to the voices of boys and young men, challenge assumptions and encourage meaningful discussion around the issues affecting their lives.
Discussion will focus on the practical realities of co-design, youth voice and cross-sector collaboration, highlighting how organisations can move beyond consultation and effectively work in genuine partnership with young people.
A key milestone of the event will be the launch of the Fylde Coast Boys Impact Hub, a new initiative that will begin as a test-and-learn pilot in Wyre, co-designed with young men themselves.
Deborah Terras, Joint Chief Executive of United Youth Alliance, said: “The pilot will provide an opportunity to put the principles explored through the conference into practice — developing, testing and evaluating approaches alongside young men and the professionals who support them.
“Our ambition is to learn from this work, build towards a wider Fylde Coast approach, and connect our learning with the national Boys’ Impact Hub, contributing to a wider movement for change.
“This is therefore more than a conference. It is an opportunity to connect people, share learning, build relationships and collectively consider what needs to change — and how we can make that change happen.”
Delegates will be directly involved in activities such as helping ti co-design the Fylde Coast Boys Impact Hub, shaping priorities for future research, practice and policy and contributing to a local “test and learn” pilot focused on improving outcomes for boys and young men.
The conference will feature keynote speakers from the Boys Impact Hub, leading grassroots and community practitioners working with boys and young men, national experts in youth work, education, participation and adolescent development, as well as Ulster university Taking boys seriously research,
This year will also see the return of our What About the Boys Hackathon from 6pm-9pm at The Village Hotel.
This will bring together young men, aged 13-18 (up to 25 for SEND) from across Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre to explore the challenges that young men face daily.
Co-designed by young people, the event will provide a safe space to not only discuss and explore these issues but provide them with the toolkit they need to support these challenges.
For further information about the event, booking stalls and obtaining conference tickets, visit the United Youth Alliance website or go straight to this link: https://uyacic.org/exhibitors-watbc/