A one-day conference bringing together youth workers, educators, and professionals to explore the challenges facing boys and young men today

Overview

Now in its eighth year, What About the Boys? returns in 2026 with an ambitious vision: the official launch of the Fylde Coast Boys Impact Hub.

Bringing together youth workers, teachers, police officers, academics, health professionals, researchers, voluntary sector leaders and young men themselves, this year's event will move beyond discussion and into action. Together, we will co-design a Fylde Coast-wide approach to improving outcomes for boys and young men through a collaborative test-and-learn programme coordinated by Wyre Youth and Community Alliance CIC (WYCA).

UYA’S work has been guided by a commitment to listening to young people and placing youth voice at the centre of decision-making. Through seven years of What About the Boys? conferences, boys and young men have consistently highlighted challenges relating to mental health, identity, belonging, educational engagement, stereotypes, social media, crime, opportunities and access to positive male role models.

The Fylde Coast Boys Impact Hub will provide a shared space for organisations to develop, test and evaluate innovative approaches to supporting boys and young men, while creating opportunities to share learning, evidence and best practice across the Fylde Coast.

Build on The Taking Boys Seriously Principles

The 2026 conference will be underpinned by all ten principles of the Taking Boys Seriously framework:

#1 Recognise the Primacy of Relationship

#2 Demonstrate Dignity and Respect

#3 Utilise a Strengths-Based Approach to Learning

#4 Challenge and Affirm Masculine Identities

#5 Promote Positive Mental Health

#6 Identify Blocks to Boys Learning

#7 Connect Boys Learning to Context

#8 Engage Meaningfully with Boys

#9 Enable Creative Learning Environments

#10 Value the Voice of Boys

These principles will act as the foundation for the Hub's development, helping practitioners explore how boys and young men experience services, education, communities and relationships, while identifying practical solutions that can be tested and scaled across the Fylde Coast.

Why Attend?

This conference is an opportunity to be part of something bigger than a single event.

Delegates will:

Help co-design the Fylde Coast Boys Impact Hub.

Shape priorities for future research, practice and policy.

Contribute to a local "test and learn" pilot focused on improving outcomes for boys and young men.

Learn how the ten Taking Boys Seriously principles can be embedded into frontline practice.

Explore evidence-based approaches from education, youth work, community development and public services.

Collaborate with colleagues from across sectors to develop new solutions to local challenges.

Join a growing learning community committed to sharing knowledge and impact across the Fylde Coast.

Keynote Speakers & Workshops

The conference will feature keynote speakers from:

The Boys Impact Hub

Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) research programmes

Leading grassroots and community practitioners working with boys and young men

National experts in youth work, education, participation and adolescent development

Alongside keynote presentations, delegates will take part in interactive workshops, action learning sets and collaborative design sessions focused on translating evidence into practical action.

From Conversation to Collective Action

The launch of the Fylde Coast Boys Impact Hub represents a unique opportunity to bring together research, practice and lived experience.

Whether you work in education, youth work, policing, health, academia or community development, your knowledge and expertise are needed to help shape a shared vision for boys and young men across the Fylde Coast.

Together, we can build stronger relationships, challenge harmful stereotypes, promote positive mental health, remove barriers to participation and learning, create more meaningful opportunities for boys and young men, and ensure their voices remain at the heart of change.

Join us at What About the Boys? 2026 and help shape the future of the Fylde Coast Boys Impact Hub.

Description supplied by the event organiser.