A Brief History

Wot Wud U Do was founded on a simple belief. The people best placed to support young people with the issues they face, are often, those who have overcome the same issues themselves.

In 2011, Wot Wud U Do began life as a university project rooted in creativity, honesty and lived experience. We set out to create something real, a way to engage and educate young people through creativity, shaped by our own journeys and experiences growing up.

We knew that young people didn’t always respond to traditional approaches. More importantly, many of those approaches failed to provide the kind of life education we wished we had received ourselves. Working alongside a team of student actors, filmmakers and creatives, we co-produced our first interactive videos, grounded in real stories and shaped by the experiences that placed young people in real-life scenarios and asked one simple question: “Wot Wud U Do?”

From Engagement to Education

We began delivering workshops one off workshops across schools, colleges, pupil referral units, care settings and community organisations throughout Lancashire. As our work developed, we recognised that one-off workshops and guest speaker sessions, whilst valuable, rarely created lasting change. We began to condense our learning into what would eventually become the Social and Emotional Learning framework that underpins our programmes today, whilst also developing weekly interventions, educational resources and teacher training materials.

Our work was never about delivering information alone. It was about creating environments where young people felt heard, understood and valued.

The Power of Lived Experience

After years of refining and delivering these programmes, we identified a recurring challenge. Whilst teachers valued the resources, many simply did not have the time, capacity or specialist knowledge to deliver them consistently. This led us to ask an important question: who are the real subject experts, and who has the time and passion to make a difference?

The answer emerged through an NHS Dragon’s Den co-production project. Using our creative expertise and understanding of education, we worked alongside HealthWatchBwD and adults with lived experience of autism, ADHD and SEND from The CareNetwork to design a life skills programme for local specialist education settings. The participants didn’t just help create the programme, they delivered it.

The impact was significant. We saw first-hand how people with lived experience could build trust, create meaningful conversations and engage learners in ways that traditional approaches often struggled to achieve. We realised that expertise doesn’t only come from qualifications; it also comes from experience, authenticity and the ability to relate to others.

Where We Are Today

Fast forward to today, and that learning sits at the heart of everything we do. Our youth and community projects, along with the programmes delivered through our CREATE Centre, focus on supporting people to turn their experiences into positive action. We work alongside young people and young adults to create educational resources, lead workshops and support their peers.

We believe that people with lived experience are often the best placed to inspire, educate and create change. By helping individuals use their experiences to support others, we are creating stronger communities and improving outcomes across youth, health, criminal justice and community settings.