How Taith Funding Turned a Youth Exchange into a Catalyst for Social Change in Wales

A new youth-focussed social impact organisation in Wales, Our Voice Our Journey (OVOJ), has officially launched with a bold mission: to amplify the voices of young people and tackle systemic issues like gender-based violence, misogyny, and inequality. But this isn’t just another youth group; it’s the result of a transformative international journey, and a growing movement to create long-term change. 

The idea for OVOJ began during a Taith-funded project through Plan International UK, when they connected with New Zealand-based organisation She Is Not Your Rehab, a grassroots movement supporting men and boys to heal from violence and trauma. Inspired by co-founder Matt Brown’s TED talk, a partnership developed that would change lives on both sides of the globe. 

In October 2024, eight adults and eight young people from two Welsh youth groups travelled to New Zealand. Over the course of the visit they met with community organisations youth-led initiatives and even spent a day with New Zealand Rugby. Throughout the exchange they learnt how storytelling, culture, and healing practices were being used to address family violence and intergenerational harm. 

The experience was eye-opening. “We moved away from trying to ‘fix’ individuals and instead focused on changing the systems and stories around them,” says the organisation’s founder Anne-Marie Lawrence. “That mindset now sits at the heart of everything we do at OVOJ.” 

The young people who went on the trip came from Her Voice Wales and We Know Our Journey. The two names were combined to form Our Voice Our Journey as the name of the new Community Interest Company.  Describing the moment the idea of OVOJ was born Anne-Marie said: “It was the young people and youth workers on the trip that made me want to do something more, we were having an amazing time, and I thought ‘this needs to be the beginning of something, not the end’ and that’s where the seed for setting up as a new organisation were planted.” 

Since then, OVOJ has gone on to co-develop new resources with She Is Not Your Rehab, including Create the Conditions, a tool to help youth workers explore gender and identity before supporting young people. Their work aims to support young people and organisations to reimagine society by designing, testing and delivering innovative solutions that lead to safer, more equitable communities. 

At a time when online influencers are spreading toxic gender narratives, Anne-Marie believes young people are ready to lead change. “Awareness isn’t enough. Young people are asking, ‘What can we do?’ Our role is to support them in taking action.  Ultimately, we want to see a generation who don’t just survive the world they’ve inherited – but have the tools, confidence, and collective power to rebuild it.”