At a Glance: What is SparkSpace?
SparkSpace is a bold, values-led learning programme co-created with children and young people. It helps library staff across the UK build confidence, capability, and consistency in youth-powered library services.
Delivered by Participation People in partnership with Libraries Rising (formerly ASCEL), and funded by The Foyle Foundation, SparkSpace brings youth voice directly into the design of professional learning—shifting libraries from well-intentioned spaces for young people to genuinely shared spaces with them.
Through three national Youth Hackathons, utilising a DIY Hack model and interactive co-design with library professionals, SparkSpace produced:
- A multimedia online learning module
- A practical, print-friendly toolkit
- Downloadable resources embedded into Libraries Rising’s CPD offer
SparkSpace represents a step-change in how learning is designed, who it is designed with, and how youth-powered services are made real in everyday practice.
Who Is it For?
SparkSpace was designed for the people shaping libraries every day. And, for the young people whose lives are shaped by them.
The programme supports library staff and leaders who care deeply about inclusion and youth voice, but may not always feel confident or equipped to put co-creation into practice. SparkSpace meets staff where they are. It offers practical, time-efficient learning grounded in real-world pressures.
Crucially, young people were not positioned as an audience, but as co-creators. Their lived experience shaped the tone, tools, and priorities of the learning — ensuring the content reflects reality rather than assumption.
By strengthening youth-powered services, SparkSpace supports libraries to become places where young people feel they belong. And, where trust, care, and connection can grow across generations.
The Context: About Libraries Rising
Libraries Rising is the professional membership body supporting senior leaders and practitioners across children’s and education library services in the UK. Formerly ASCEL, the organisation’s rebrand reflects a renewed commitment to equity, lived experience, and youth-powered libraries as vital civic infrastructure.
Libraries Rising champions libraries not only as places of reading, but as:
- Community anchors
- Spaces of belonging and wellbeing
- Platforms for creativity, and youth leadership.
The Challenge: Values Without Tools
Despite strong intent across the sector, Libraries Rising identified persistent challenges:
- Youth engagement expertise was often held by a small number of specialists
- Confidence in co-creation varied widely
- Existing training could feel theoretical or disconnected from lived experience.
At the same time, young people were clear about what they wanted from libraries:
“Listen to us. Work with us. Let’s create brilliant libraries of the future — together.”
To embed youth-powered services at scale, learning itself needed to be youth-powered.
The Strategy: Co-Creation as the Engine
Participation People designed SparkSpace using a co-creation-first approach. We brought together children and young people (aged 14–25, prioritising lived experience of exclusion), Libraries Rising members and frontline professionals, and Participation People facilitators and designers.
Rather than consulting on pre-written content, young people shaped the vision, language, design, and learning formats.
Co-creation was not an add-on — it was the engine that drove credibility and impact.
What We Built Together
Across three national Youth Hackathons, young people and library professionals worked side by side to define what youth-powered library services should feel like. And, what learning would genuinely support change in practice. Sessions moved from vision-setting, to hands-on design, to testing and refinement.
A DIY Hack Pack enabled wider participation from young people unable to attend live sessions, strengthening accessibility and breadth of insight. Learning was then translated into a multimedia online module, supported by a practical toolkit and downloadable resources designed for immediate use.
The result is a flexible, engaging learning offer — aligned to Libraries Rising’s new brand — built with, not just for, the people it serves.
The Impact
SparkSpace centred relationships, not just outputs.
More than 45 young people took part. Their insight directly shaped the tone, language, and priorities of the learning. Libraries Rising members were involved throughout, building shared ownership and trust and ensuring the programme felt sector-owned rather than externally imposed.
I thoroughly enjoyed making content for Libraries Rising. I hope it makes staff think differently, and say, oo that’s really cool, it’s really good to see the younger generation engaging and it makes me want to be like yeah I’m going to help my young people in my area. I’d love to see that – Megan, 18
I’ve never done something like this before. But it was amazing! As a young person it’s great to be involved in these changes. – Will, 15
SparkSpace is now embedded within Libraries Rising’s CPD offer, supporting long-term sustainability. Early feedback also indicates increased staff confidence to trial co-creation in everyday practice, particularly among those previously unsure where to begin.
What’s Next: Building on Momentum
SparkSpace was designed as a foundation, not a finish line.
Libraries Rising is now well positioned to scale the learning nationally, embed youth-powered services more deeply across its CPD offer, and apply the SparkSpace co-creation model to future programmes, partnerships, and strategic priorities.
The tools, relationships, and learning developed through SparkSpace offer a repeatable blueprint — one that can continue to evolve alongside young people, responding to new challenges while remaining rooted in lived experience, equity, and inclusion.
“It was so important for children and young people’s thoughts, ideas and feedback to be at the heart of SparkSpace, our Foyle Foundation-funded learning module and toolkit for the library sector. Participation People and their team of young people not only understood the brief but really ran with it; firstly through a series of lively hackathons that really tapped into young peoples’ perspectives and suggestions, then through shaping the learning content itself in a co-creative, iterative way. Throughout, Temi and Em were endlessly enthusiastic, positive, and supportive of this project. They brought such a lot of expertise and experience with them. It was invaluable. We absolutely loved working with them. – Programme manager, Lucy Banks, Libraries Rising
Final Reflection: Libraries That Rise With Young People
SparkSpace shows what becomes possible when young people are trusted not just as contributors, but as partners.
By designing learning with children and young people, Libraries Rising has created something practical, authentic, and future-facing — supporting staff to act on their values and helping young people see libraries as spaces that genuinely belong to them.
This is what youth-powered services look like in practice.
At Participation People, this is how we work. We partner with organisations to co-create learning, strategy, and systems alongside children and young people — turning lived experience into meaningful, lasting change.
If you’re exploring how youth-power could strengthen your organisation, we’d love to start that conversation and help you build meaningful, lasting change. Get in touch.
