Two police officers speak with three smiling girls sitting on a green bench in a park. The officers wear “Heddlu Police” uniforms. Trees and grass surround the group, creating a relaxed, outdoor setting.

06 Nov, 2025

How young people are helping reimagine the future of policing, justice and trust

Dan Sargent, a man with short curly brown hair and a goatee, smiles whilst standing indoors in a plain white long-sleeved shirt. Flowers and large windows brighten the background.

By Dan Sargent, Creative Director

We spend a lot of time talking about how to engage young people.

But what if engagement isn’t the goal?

What if the real challenge is trust?

Over the last few months, we’ve been working closely with the South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner to co-create the first Children and Young People’s Police, Crime and Justice Plan.

More than five thousand young people helped shape it. Their voices set the tone and priorities for how every young person can feel safe, heard and respected.

Our role at Everglow was to bring that vision to life. To create a visual identity, tone of voice and handbook, alongside a digital and content strategy shaped by young people to drive the plan forward.

The power of listening

In policing and justice, co-design is about more than creativity. It’s about building trust.

Across England and Wales, around 45% of 13–17-year-olds agree that the police ‘treat everyone fairly, whatever their skin colour or religion,’ according to the Youth Endowment Fund. Among adults, about 67% say the police in their local area are doing a ‘good or excellent job,’ according to the Office for National Statistics.

That gap is exactly why it’s so important to involve young people in shaping how policing and justice are communicated.

When the people who are often the subject of a system become active partners in designing it, something powerful happens.

It turns power into partnership. It replaces assumption with understanding.

Two young men stand by a pool table; one smiles holding a red table tennis bat, while the other stands with arms crossed. Both wear jackets. The background shows green and blue walls and stacked chairs.

Three young people sit at a table in a library or study space, engaged in conversation. Bookshelves filled with books are visible in the background. One person is smiling whilst others listen attentively.

Letting young people take the wheel

Over the summer, we worked with the South Wales Police Positive Action Team’s Summer Placements, a paid training programme for students from diverse communities. They weren’t a focus group. They were collaborators.

They named the plan, influenced the tone, and shaped how it should look and feel. Every choice came through their perspective. If something didn’t feel right, they told us. That honesty made the work stronger.

Together we shaped a vision that reflected their voices: a plan built on feeling safe, being heard and being respected. They brought it to life with photos of real young people, bright colours and illustrations full of energy. It needed to look like them and speak their language, not read like another policy document.

The result is a shared commitment to represent young people as they truly are: vibrant, honest and hopeful.

A person with glasses and reddish hair stands outside a brick building, holding a sign that reads Safe, Heard, Respected with photos and colourful designs. There is bunting in the background.

A young person wearing glasses and a light blue shirt stands outside a building, smiling and holding a sign that reads “Safe, Heard, Respected” with photos and text on it. People are seated at tables in the background.

Honest answers, one ping at a time

The plan was launched at Tramshed in Cardiff, bringing together the people and partnerships who helped make it a reality. It was a chance to celebrate the work, the collaboration and the conversations that shaped it.

It was also a moment to listen again. For young people, it was another opportunity to influence what happens next and help shape how the plan lives and grows online. Their ideas are guiding the digital and content strategy that will drive the plan’s wider goals, ensuring it continues to reach, engage, and empower young people long after the launch.

Using Ping Poll, they voted for what they wanted to see. They asked for stories about real experiences, creative content and practical advice they could trust. They wanted to see progress, not promises, and to know their input would lead to action.

A dimly lit stage with a red sofa, balloons, two chairs, and a lectern. A large screen displays bilingual text about safety, respect, and being heard, with colourful graphics and icons.

Research supports what we heard. Ofcom’s latest study shows that younger audiences are increasingly turning to online and social platforms, such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, to stay informed.

Childwise’s annual Monitor Report also finds that young people connect most strongly with authentic, real-world stories and content that feels human.

That insight is guiding how we’re developing the digital and content strategy.

Creativity starts with humility

Projects like this remind you that good ideas don’t always come from the loudest voices. Sometimes, the most important thing you can do is make space for others to lead.

These young people weren’t waiting to be consulted. They were ready to collaborate. They didn’t need us to give them a voice; they needed us to listen.

And in a sector like policing, that kind of listening changes everything. It helps bridge the distance between authority and community. It builds empathy on both sides. And it reminds you that creativity isn’t just about what looks good. It’s about what feels true.

A smiling person with curly hair, glasses, and a blue “Hello Winter” T-shirt stands indoors with blurred shelves in the background.

Four students in school uniforms sit around a table working on an arts and crafts project with paper hands. One boy smiles and holds up a decorated paper hand. Art supplies are scattered on the table.

A young woman stands indoors against a colourful orange and green wall, smiling. She wears a black jumper over a collared shirt and tie, with her hands gently clasped in front of her.

A young woman with red hair and glasses smiles whilst standing indoors. She is wearing a black polo neck and a sleeveless denim waistcoat. The background shows a blurred office or library setting with shelves and tables.

A teenage girl in a blue school uniform shirt and tie is smiling whilst sitting at a table during a meeting or interview, with papers and another person partially visible nearby.

A group of students in school uniforms stand in a corridor decorated with motivational words like Create and Innovate on a bright orange wall. One student is speaking whilst others listen attentively.

A young woman with plaited hair, wearing a black school jumper, stands smiling in a corridor with colourful mural art on the walls behind her.

Trusting young people to shape what’s next

Real trust takes time. It means being open to feedback, even when it’s uncomfortable, and letting people shape the outcome with you.

We’re now beginning the next phase: designing the digital experience and exploring how it can best support the plan’s broader aims. We’ll continue working with young people throughout, testing ideas, gathering feedback, and ensuring the final experience feels like it belongs to them.

And we know they won’t hold back.

Because when you trust young people to lead, they don’t just make the work better. They make it matter. And we’re proud to keep learning alongside them