The Trusted Path

The Trusted Path is a comic book created by Youth Futures Foundation’s Future Voices Group, exploring the role trusted adults can play in helping young people navigate their journey towards employment.  

Inspired by The Missing Link report, the artwork draws on insights from a growing evidence base together with lived experience to capture the many barriers and obstacles that young people, particularly those most marginalised, can encounter along the way.  

The maze at the heart of the story represents the youth employment system which can feel confusing and isolating to navigate alone. The comic shows how trusted adults can be the turning point in a young person’s journey, acting as a guiding light that makes progress feel possible.  

The Trusted Path illustrates the power of relationships in youth employment outcomes. By connecting in the right support at the right time, providing consistent encouragement, building confidence and offering stability through setbacks, trusted adults can help young people find a way forward. It is a reminder that behind every statistic is a young person with talent and ambition, and that trusted support can make all the difference in opening up opportunities that might otherwise feel out of reach. 

The Trusted Path was first unveiled by the Future Voices Group at a parliamentary roundtable on trusted adults and youth employment, where young people reflected on how the presence or absence of relational support had impacted them and shaped their own journeys.