FREE WORKSHOP - Overcoming Challenging Teenage Behaviour - Shared On behalf of Active Derbyshire 

Date: 20 January 2026
Venue: Chesterfield Football Stadium (details on poster – the HUB at the back of the stadium)
Time: 6:00–8:00pm

Places will be limited – so please book if you want to attend using this link: Overcoming Challenging Teenage Behaviours

Following the success of the Understanding Gangs, Knife Crime and Criminal Exploitation workshop in October, several people have asked for further support around engaging teenagers, particularly those often described as ‘hard to reach’ or whose behaviour can present challenges.

In response, I’ve worked with Drew from Chesterfield Football Club Community Trust, Anton from Guiding Minds, and Gavin from Remedi to create an evening session focused on practical strategies to help break down barriers and improve engagement with young people who may be facing significant difficulties or displaying behaviours that can feel hard to manage.

We’ve all had that moment of hesitation when approaching a group of teenagers who appear guarded, reluctant to talk, or who make us question how the interaction might go. If you experience these challenges in your work or club, this workshop could be of real value.

The poster below outlines the session in more detail. It’s a great opportunity to spend time with professionals, other clubs, and organisations who work every day with young people facing adversity. I also want to emphasise that behaviour is not a child’s identity—it is usually an expression of what’s happening in their lives. When I use words like ‘challenging’ or ‘hard to reach,’ it is never to blame the young person, but to acknowledge the difficulties professionals sometimes face in connecting with them.

I’d also like to share a powerful statement from Dr. Helen Beckett (Bedford University), written during her doctoral research into looked-after children and contextual safeguarding:

“Professionals should not dismiss the abusive nature of such situations just because a young person does. The statutory responsibility to safeguard these young people and uphold the law is not dependent on their desire to be safeguarded.”

I share this because so many young people I’ve worked with have minimised their own harm or abuse in order to ‘fit in’ or out of fear. They may not want help—or may not feel able to ask for it—and so their experiences often surface through behaviour.

This workshop aims to equip you with tools to better understand those situations where you sense something isn’t right, but barriers prevent disclosure. It will also help you interpret behaviours more effectively and offer strategies that support engagement with the young people who may need it most.

Date: 20 January 2026
Venue: Chesterfield Football Stadium (details on poster – the HUB at the back of the stadium)
Time: 6:00–8:00pm

Free parking is available, and we’ll provide some snacks given the timing of the session.

Places will be limited – so please book if you want to attend using this link: Overcoming Challenging Teenage Behaviours