New Partnership Empowers Bolton Youth to Lead Through Storytelling
Youth Leads UK has been awarded a Bolton’s Fund Partnership Grant to empower young people through storytelling and leadership training, delivered in collaboration with Tales to Inspire.
Youth Leads UK & Tales to Inspire will deliver three inspiring programmes reaching more than 70 young people across Bolton. Participants will take part in 12 storytelling sessions, with 40 young people from overlooked and underrepresented backgrounds receiving specialist training in storytelling techniques to help them share their experiences with confidence.
The programmes, generously supported by the Bolton’s Fund Partnership grant, will help young people begin their leadership journey and develop the tools to turn their life experiences into powerful personal stories. These new skills will support them in real-world situations such as job interviews, university applications, and public speaking.
The first programme in the series has already proven a huge success, with a full cohort of 25 participants and a waiting list due to high demand. Sessions are currently taking place at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton.
The partnership will culminate in a public showcase event, where young people will share their personal stories with the wider community: celebrating their growth, resilience, and leadership. A youth-led documentary film will also capture their journeys and achievements, amplifying their voices beyond the programme to inspire others across Bolton and beyond.
Krish Patel, Founder of Tales to Inspire, said:
“Lived experience is one of the most powerful tools a young person has. When organisations like Youth Leads UK and Tales to Inspire come together, combining trust, shared expertise and deep roots in the community, we create spaces where young people feel truly seen and supported. This partnership shows what’s possible when collaboration unlocks confidence, helping young people transform their stories into leadership, purpose and real change.”
A young person on the programme said:
“The public speaking and presentation session really helped me with my confidence. Before Andy and Krish broke it down, I wasn’t sure how to approach a presentation, and through their helpful steps, I feel more ready to take on presentations in the future. Speaking was definitely scary but it was rewarding in the end.”
Saeed Atcha MBE DL, CEO and Founder of Youth Leads UK, said:
“When young people share their stories, they unlock their power to lead. Our work with Tales to Inspire is all about helping them turn confidence into action and stories into change. It’s up to us, the adults, to give them that platform to build their leadership skills.”
This partnership marks a new chapter for Bolton’s young people, one where their stories inspire action, drive leadership, and create lasting change in the community.
Know someone who’d love to take part? Head to the Youth Leads UK website to find out more and sign up. Every young person deserves the chance to share their story.
