About Us
Playful in practice, serious about decisions
Our history
Participation People started, as all good plans do, on the back of a napkin.
This napkin plan contained 4 BIG circles:
- Young people
- Potential clients and partners
- Communities
- An expert staff team of facilitators and project managers
Each circle represents how closely connected our audiences are — and how working collaboratively, as equal partners, leads to better decisions and more positive outcomes for young people and organisations alike.
Participation People was founded in 2010 by our Chief Executive, Antonia Dixey, who set out to build a specialist consultancy rooted in meaningful youth participation. Today, our team works alongside partners, clients, communities and, most importantly, young people.
Antonia previously led youth participation at St John Ambulance and later served as Involvement Manager at the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Across both roles, she learned that listening is the foundation of effective youth participation, co-production and engagement.
Listening remains at the heart of everything we do – to understand and explore before we and our partners act. Ultimately creating better long-term solutions with young people, not just for them.
Our foundations
Our work is grounded in children’s rights, meaningful participation, and co-production. Guided by the Lundy Model, we create ethical, inclusive spaces where young people are supported to share their views and influence decisions in a way that is meaningful to them.
These foundations shape how we work with organisations — enabling them to embed youth participation into their culture, practice, and decision-making, creating outcomes that are both responsible and impactful.
Our purpose
Participation People believe services are better when you work creatively with the people who use them. We are proud to be award-winning youth engagement, participation, and co-production experts working across the UK.
Our vision is a world where young people are consulted on the decisions that impact them, giving them the power to become a positive voice for change within their communities.
Want to work with us?
Get started by talking to us.
Whether it’s a problem or an idea, we would love to hear from you.
Email Us
For all press and media enquiries, please reach out to [email protected]
Talk to our team
03333 556 438
Mon – Fri: 9:00 – 17:00