BREAK COMMS developed a comprehensive youth engagement and participation framework for London Borough of Haringey as part of its journey to London Borough of Culture 2027, ensuring young people are central to the programme’s design, delivery and long-term legacy.

Shaped through research, consultation with young people, existing provision and youth organisations, and a review of existing opportunities for young people across the borough, the framework embeds Gen Z and Gen Alpha leadership throughout the programme while aligning with a set of guiding principles designed to ensure the work is dynamic, representative, realistic, innovative and sustainable.

At the heart of the framework are four strategic pillars: Voice & Power, establishing meaningful youth engagement and governance structures; Growth & Opportunity, creating training, development and employment pathways that spotlight opportunities across Haringey; Visibility & Connection, building a strong communications approach that amplifies youth voices and cultural participation; and Future-Proofing, ensuring the programme leaves a lasting legacy in skills, networks and creative infrastructure for young people.

Our framework supports three key life stages, 0–11, 12–18 and 18–25 years. For each, we mapped engagement activities, outcomes and delivery partners, alongside safeguarding considerations and support networks, ensuring safe, effective participation.

Dedicated training and development pathways were identified for each stage, helping young people build confidence and skills, plus routes into creative and cultural careers for the older groups.

To enable delivery at scale, we also established key governance foundations including safeguarding and duty of care, partnership governance, youth-friendly working practices, representation and a clear approach to evaluation and continuous improvement. 

We also developed a communications framework to help engage youth audiences and amplify activity.