Wavemakers Project

As part of the Wavemakers project, Healthwatch Wiltshire engaged with over 800 young people across secondary school and further education settings to understand what matters most to them in relation to their health, wellbeing, education and future. What young people shared was not a list of isolated concerns, but a clear picture of pressure building over time – from worries about fitting in, to anxiety about exams, illness, safety and adult life.

Belonging and rejection, mental health pressures, exam stress, family illness, safety and uncertainty about the future all featured consistently across conversations. Young people described carrying adult-level responsibilities at increasingly younger ages, often without feeling confident that support systems would respond early or effectively