Children and young people from three North Wales schools took centre stage at Venue Cymru in Llandudno as ACE Hub Wales brought together educators, policy leaders and practitioners for its Learning Well – Trauma and ACE-informed education in Wales event.

Set against the backdrop of a growing national conversation about how schools can better support emotional wellbeing, the event focused on the transformational impact of trauma and adverse childhood experiences-informed practice for learners, teachers and whole school communities.

While the day featured a broad mix of insight, discussion and shared learning, the voices of young people and the launch of the Lle Llais 2025 Report gave it added resonance.

Young people at the heart of the conversation

Pupils from Ysgol Bryn Gwalia, Ysgol Bryn Alyn and Ysgol David Hughes shared powerful Public Narrative talks exploring what trauma and ACE-informed practice means in their own schools and what more could be done to make education settings across Wales places of safety, belonging and compassion.

Their contributions were widely described as the emotional centre of the conference. The talks were the result of work led by Wrexham University’s Civic Mission team, which supported the young people to develop their stories and present them in ways designed to influence decision-makers and shape future practice.

The children’s presentations did more than describe challenges. They offered a clear vision of education shaped by kindness, connection and understanding, while showing how meaningful it can be when young people are trusted to speak for themselves. Across the day, attendees returned to the same theme: that the experiences, ideas and hopes of children and young people must sit at the heart of efforts to build a trauma-informed Wales.

Reflecting on the event, Nina Ruddle said: “Proud is a word that cannot really express how I feel today.” She also highlighted the importance of ensuring that young people’s stories help shape future action, describing the work as part of a wider effort to build a more compassionate and trauma-informed region.

Launching the Lle Llais report

Alongside the school presentations, the event also marked the launch of the Lle Llais 2025 Report a piece of research that added further depth to the day’s focus on belonging, wellbeing and voice.

Developed with Welsh Bards and the Public Map team, and led by Wrexham University’s Paula Wood and Professor Alec Shepley, the report explores how children and young people engage with culture, heritage and language through arts, creative and nature-based activities. Its findings point to the positive impact this kind of work can have on social and cultural wellbeing, while also offering important insight into how children understand and experience belonging.

That theme of belonging ran through the entire event. While the conference was centred on trauma and ACE-informed education, the launch of the Lle Llais 2025 Report widened the conversation, showing that support for children and young people is not only about responding to adversity, but also about creating the conditions in which they can thrive. Culture, creativity, language and connection to place all emerged as important parts of that picture.

A wider message about belonging

The report also resonates with wider national discussions about culture and wellbeing in Wales, including recent calls for stronger recognition of culture, identity and heritage in public life. In that sense, this felt like more than a report launch. It offered evidence for an approach that sees belonging as essential to both wellbeing and educational success.

The wider conference programme featured contributions from leaders across education and policy, including Nicola Edwards, Deputy Director for Equity in Education at Welsh Government, and support from Cabinet Secretary for Education Lynne Neagle MS. Workshops and discussions throughout the day explored how trauma-informed approaches are being embedded in schools, foster care settings and wider services, while the Public Map team captured reflections and ideas from participants in real time.

Yet despite the breadth of the programme, the most memorable moments came from the children and young people who stood on stage and spoke with honesty, clarity and courage. Their stories grounded the event in lived experience and reminded everyone in the room that trauma-informed practice is not an abstract framework, but something that can shape whether a child feels safe, seen and able to belong.

Listening and acting

By bringing together research, practice and the voices of young people, the Learning Well event offered a powerful snapshot of what a trauma and ACE-informed approach can look like in Wales. The launch of the Lle Llais 2025 Report strengthened that message, showing how creative, cultural and place-based work can support wellbeing, identity and connection.

The day at Venue Cymru was a reminder that some of the most important leadership in Wales is already emerging in classrooms and communities. At Learning Well, it was the combination of evidence and lived experience that made the message land: a more compassionate, trauma-informed future will only be realised by listening carefully to children and young people and acting on what they say.