The Voice

Young person with short hair is drawing on a mural as part of a group project, with the words 'you belong here' included. There are colourful flowers and pride flag hearts too on a green wall.

The Voice is a weekly youth social group. It gives young people aged 12-18 a chance to meet with peers to discuss mental health, learn life skills and have fun.

The Voice is a weekly social group for young people aged 12–18. It offers a safe and supportive space to talk about mental health, build life skills, and take part in positive activities with others.

Since launching in 2018, The Voice has supported young people who may feel anxious, isolated, or low in confidence.

The group helps members make new friends, develop social and emotional skills, and grow in confidence and wellbeing.

Enquire about The Voice

Why The Voice matters

Teenage years can be a challenging time. With so much change happening, it’s easy for young people to feel unsure or withdrawn. Research shows that strong social connections during adolescence can greatly improve self-esteem, confidence, and emotional resilience.

“After joining the Voice my teenager smiles and spends time with us instead of retreating to isolation in her room.”

— Parent

When do The Voice meet?

When: Wednesdays (term time)

Time: 4.30- 6pm

Where: Kids Inspire, Hargrave House, Hollycroft, Great Baddow, CM2 7FW, Chelmsford .

Please note transport must be organised by the parent/caregiver or young person (16+)

What does a Voice session look like?

Sessions are typically structured as check ins, activity, discussion, and roundup.

Arrival

When arriving you will go in to our Voice room where there will be pizza and drinks. At the start we all have a catch up together.

Activity

For the next 30-45 minutes we will do an activity or a game.

Finishing the session

Towards the end of the session, the group have free-flowing conversations. We then do a round up and briefly discuss the following week’s activity.

Trips with the group

Occasional sessions will take place outside of Kids Inspire’s office. Trips out will be communicated and organised in advance.

Information for secondary schools

If you would like us to visit your school to present a talk about The Voice to your students please contact the team.

Information for parents and carers

For more information about The Voice, including any upcoming drop-in events for potential new members, please contact voice@kidsinspire.org.uk.

“It is our own safe space to talk about anything worrying us”

— Young person in The Voice

Moving on from the Voice

When a Voice member turns 18, they can apply to become a Voice Champion.

This role offers extra support from Kids Inspire to help them grow, develop new skills, and give back to their community.

Some of our Voice group highlights

Our Voice members are invited to go along to fantastic trips and be part of Kids Inspire projects.

By taking part in these activities members develop their confidence skills, problem-solving and learn practical life skills.

Previously we set sail from Brightlingsea, worked as a team at an escape room, presented workshops on social media safety and more!

Read all about our Sailing Trip.

An illuminating Christmas celebration

Last Christmas we all took a trip out to ‘Enlightened’ at Hylands house. The evening was filled with beautiful lights, hot chocolates and a lot of laughs. Oh and some icy toes too!

Trips out give members an opportunity to discover something new, spend time with other Voice members in a different setting, and most of all have fun!