The Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service Youth Engagement Service (YES) has been honoured with the prestigious Thornton Education Trust (TET) Inspire Future Generations Award for Best Local Authority in Youth Engagement.
The award recognises the service’s outstanding commitment to empowering children and young people to shape the future of their communities.
The Inspire Future Generations Awards, organised by the Thornton Education Trust (TET), celebrate exemplary projects and initiatives that place children and young people at the heart of designing inclusive environments. Now in its fourth year, the awards highlight the work of organisations and individuals who bridge the gap between the built environment and meaningful youth engagement.
Between 2017 and 2025, through its youth engagement initiatives - Have Your Say, Our Public Art, Let’s Create, and the Summer Work Experience Programme - the YES team has delivered significant and lasting impact:
- Engaged more than 2,050 children and young people in placemaking activities
- Engaged over 770 parents and guardians
- Enabled young voices to influence the design of more than 1,400 new homes
- Ensured youth perspectives shaped 256,000m² of employment space
- Delivered 40 workshops with local primary and secondary schools
- Provided 42 work experience placements within the planning service
- Supported five public art projects involving children and young people
This national recognition marks an important milestone for the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service and reinforces the value of embedding young people’s voices in planning and placemaking. The YES team looks forward to building on this success, continuing to champion youth-led approaches, and working with partners across the region to ensure that future developments reflect the aspirations, creativity and lived experiences of the next generation.
