Sharing Power, Showing Understanding
A call to tackle violence affecting young people, with young people.
The Peer Action Collective (PAC) is a youth-led network working across England and Wales to make communities safer and fairer. Since 2021, over 12,000 young people have taken part through peer research and social action, shaping solutions grounded in lived experiences of violence.
This report captures learning from the second phase of PAC (2023–2025), in which over 5,158 young people contributed. Together they explored the realities of violence in their lives and neighbourhoods and led social action to address the issues they identified. Their insights highlight how violence is experienced not only on the streets but also online, and how access to safe spaces and positive activities can provide vital alternatives. They emphasised the importance of fair, empathetic relationships with adults and called for greater understanding of the reasons behind young people’s behaviour, particularly in schools. Mental health and wellbeing emerged as a concern, with young people asking for consistent support and trusted adults who create safe, non-judgemental environments. Across the PAC network, young people turned these findings into social action — from tackling online harms and barriers to safe travel, to rethinking school discipline, improving mental health support, and creating youth-friendly spaces.
The report presents five key lessons from young people’s research:
Safe places and positive activities matter – spaces where young people feel safe, included and able to thrive can divert them from risk.
Understanding the ‘why’ behind behaviour is vital – exclusion without support can push young people towards greater harm.
Consistent mental health support is lacking – young people want safe, supportive environments to manage their wellbeing.
Trusted adults make the difference – empathy and authentic relationships help young people feel understood and supported.
Involving young people creates trust and engagement – when young people lead and co-design solutions, services are more creative, engaging and effective.
PAC’s work shows the power of investing in youth leadership. By sharing power, showing understanding, and acting on young people’s insight, we can build safer, fairer communities and reduce violence affecting young people.
Find out more about PAC here
Explore the resources from different PAC teams here
Follow us on instagram @peeractioncollective
Funded by the Youth Endowment Fund, the #iwill Fund (a joint investment between The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) and the Co-op, the PAC is here to support young people to take the lead.
