Youth Voice at the Heart of Blaenau Gwent’s Library Future

Blaenau Gwent’s libraries are taking an important step forward in how they engage, support and listen to young people.

Through the Cultural Library Youth Engagement Partnership, funded through the Welsh Government’s Priorities for Culture programme, Aneurin Leisure Trust Library Service and Blaenau Gwent Youth and Arts Service are working together to make libraries more welcoming, relevant and accessible for young people aged 11 to 25.

Two months into the project, strong foundations are already being built, with Harley-Jo Reynolds now in post as Youth Engagement Coordinator.

Harley’s role is focused on bringing young people into the heart of library planning, helping them shape activity, influence library spaces, and create a stronger youth offer across Blaenau Gwent.

Young people leading the way

One of the early successes has been the creation of a new Library Ambassadors Group, made up of eight committed young people.

This group has already started to influence the direction of the project. They have: -

• Created a new Library Leaders logo

• Developed a youth survey to gather wider views

• Taken ownership of gathering feedback from other young people

• Helped shape ideas for future youth activities and library spaces

The survey has already received 20 responses from young people, giving the project valuable early insight into what young people want from their libraries.

This matters because the project is not about making assumptions. It is about asking young people directly, listening properly, and then turning their feedback into visible action.

Building activity across every library

The project has also supported the development of funded half-term activities, with one activity planned for each library across Blaenau Gwent.

Facilitators will deliver morning and afternoon sessions, creating opportunities for young people to take part in creative and cultural activity in familiar local spaces.

Activities include:

• Hip hop sessions

• Comic book workshops

• Craft sessions

• Art sessions These sessions are designed to help libraries feel active, creative and youth-friendly, while giving young people a reason to visit, take part and return.

Creating youth-friendly library spaces

A key part of the project is the development of dedicated youth spaces and youth zones in libraries.

Early work is now underway to look at how library spaces can be adapted to feel more accessible and relevant for young people. This includes practical improvements such as:

• Storage solutions at Tredegar Sports Centre for Warhammer activity

• Preparing shelves for youth stock

• Exploring how book stock can be displayed in a way that feels more visible and appealing

• Planning youth zones ready for the summer holidays

The aim is not just to buy new items. The aim is to create spaces that young people feel they have helped shape and can see themselves using.

Looking ahead to the next phase

The next phase of the project will focus on turning the early engagement into delivery.

This will include:

• Completing priority actions identified through the youth consultation

• Continuing visits and engagement led by Harley

• Finalising plans for youth zones ahead of the summer holidays

• Delivering half-term activities across the library network

• Linking activity into the Summer Reading Challenge: Read to the Beat

• Supporting the six-book challenge and encouraging more young people to borrow

• Developing marketing materials with support from the project marketing budget

• Strengthening bilingual and Welsh language provision through partners

The summer period will be a key milestone. It gives the project an opportunity to bring together youth voice, creative activity, reading, Welsh language provision and visible changes within library spaces.

A partnership with long-term purpose

This project is about more than one programme of activity. It is about changing how young people see libraries and how libraries involve young people in shaping the future.

By working with Youth and Arts colleagues, listening to young people, investing in youth stock and developing youth-friendly spaces, the project is creating a practical model that can continue beyond the funding period.

The early progress is positive, but the challenge now is execution. The project needs to keep moving from ideas into visible action, with young people seeing that their input leads to real change.

That is the difference between consultation and genuine engagement.

Blaenau Gwent’s young people are already helping to lead that change. The next phase is about making sure the spaces, activities and opportunities are ready for them.