Facilitator Spotlight: David Woolcott

Every Voicebox session is led by one of our expert facilitators, recruited specifically because we feel young people can trust them. Not because they're trying to be cool or act like a friend, but because they show up as real, grounded adults who genuinely care.

This month, we sat down with facilitator David Woolcott to chat about his experience and how he works with young people.

Can you tell us about yourself and what brought you to facilitation?

I first got into facilitation while studying my BA in Theatre and Social Change at Rose Bruford. In my second year, we had a module focused on designing and delivering our own workshops.

We learned facilitation skills, how to build and manage safe spaces, and how to develop our own facilitation toolkits. As part of the course, we created workshops and delivered them in

organisations across London. That was my first professional, hands-on experience with facilitation.

Since then I've run countless workshops across England and internationally, working with people from different backgrounds and varying needs.

When I reflect on it, I think I’ve always been drawn to creating and holding spaces. Whether that was through devising and directing theatre, or even hosting house parties when I was younger, people would always gather at my home. I’ve always felt a natural calling to bring people together with shared intention and purpose. That instinct for creating meaningful spaces is what ultimately brought me to facilitation.

What specific skills or experiences do you feel make you effective in the room?

One of my core strengths is reflection, I’m constantly considering my position in the world and how I can continue to learn and grow. When I’m creating or facilitating a workshop, I’m always thinking about how everyone in the space can be served equitably.

I pay close attention to what each person might need to fully participate, while also reflecting on what I need as a facilitator. We’re all in the room together, there’s no hierarchy and everyone’s presence is acknowledged.

I prioritise authenticity. When I show up as my full, real self, it naturally invites others to do the same.

Authenticity creates relatability, and relatability creates safety. I aim to align my words

with my actions and model the kind of openness I hope to see in the room.

I also embrace silliness, play, and joy. I’m not afraid to look a bit ridiculous or be vulnerable. When participants see that it’s okay to feel awkward, playful, or even embarrassed, it gives them permission to step into that space too.

My training in Theatre and Social Change gave me practical tools, but it’s my lived experience of bringing people together combined with that training that makes me adaptable and responsive to the needs of different groups.

How would you describe your facilitation style in 3 words?

1. Authentic

2. Engaging

3. Progressive

What makes a 'successful' session for participants?

An engaging and impactful session starts long before the workshop begins.

You need to understand the space, the purpose of the session, and why the participants are there.

Did they choose to attend? What are their expectations? What are their access needs? Who is in the room?

Before thinking about the end goal, you have to establish the foundations of safety, intention, accessibility, and inclusion.

Once those elements are clear, you can define your objectives. What are the outcomes? Why does this session matter? Why do you want to create this space?

Then, what happens in the room becomes a collaborative process. This is where your facilitation toolkit comes in. Having a wide range of exercises, games and approaches allows you to respond to the energy and needs of the group while still guiding everyone toward the

intended outcomes.

A question might shift the direction. A discussion might open something unexpected. But as a facilitator, your role is to hold the structure and gently guide the group forward, allowing the journey to unfold naturally while keeping the purpose clear.

That balance between preparation, responsiveness and shared ownership is what makes a session truly engaging and impactful.

How do you create safe, inclusive spaces for young people?

Creating a safe and inclusive space also begins before the workshop itself.

Preparation is key. I need to understand who will be in the room and what their access needs are. If the session might involve potentially triggering content, I believe in offering content warnings beforehand so participants can make informed choices about their engagement.

Clarity at the beginning of the session is equally important. Everyone should understand how the space works. Can they leave at any time? Are comfort breaks encouraged? Do they need to ask permission to step out? Establishing these agreements early creates transparency and

reduces anxiety, especially before moving into more challenging or vulnerable discussions.

When it comes specifically to discussion, I use gradual, layered conversation structures. One approach I find particularly effective is offering a question, briefly sharing my own perspective to model openness, and then inviting participants to explore the question in pairs. From there, the conversation expands into groups of three, then four, and eventually into the wider group.

This “snowball” method allows honesty to grow naturally. It gives people the chance to build confidence, recognise commonalities and differences, and feel heard before speaking in front of everyone.

I don’t believe there needs to be a rush toward a final answer or any answer.

Often, the purpose of discussion isn’t to win or conclude, it’s to understand; I prioritise discussion over debate. We are there to uplift one another, not to diminish one another.

Participants are allowed to disagree and still respect each other. They are allowed to hold different perspectives and still coexist in the same space. Even when conversations are difficult, they can still feel positive and generative. We can embrace the full range of emotions in the room: discomfort, vulnerability, uncertainty, and still find moments of lightness and joy.

Difficult conversations don’t have to feel heavy or divisive, they can be spaces of growth, connection and shared humanity.

What’s been your most memorable facilitation experience?

One of my most memorable facilitation experiences was delivering a week-long workshop in Germany with a group of young people aged 14–17 at an international school.

I'd curated the entire programme myself, and it was incredibly powerful to see my practice come to life in a completely new environment and country. I’m a big believer that if you can imagine something, you can create it. I’ve always been drawn to the idea of building a more utopian, connected world and during that week, I saw that mindset physically unfold in front of me.

We created a space together where growth, honesty, and connection could happen even across borders and cultural differences. It was profound to witness how facilitation can transcend barriers and bring people together in ways that feel real and meaningful.

What made it even more special was that the mayor of Düsseldorf attended the final day after hearing about the work we were doing. It was a powerful moment, not just for me but for the young people, to see the space we had created together recognised and celebrated by

their wider community was amazing.

It was unforgettable, both professionally and personally and it strongly reaffirmed my belief in the power of facilitation.

What do you hope participants take away from your sessions?

Whenever I facilitate a session, I hold one core intention: to plant a seed.

While I always have objectives in mind, I’m deeply aware that every participant walks into the room carrying their own life experiences. Empathy is central to facilitation. Everyone will take away something different and that’s exactly how it should be.

If someone leaves remembering that they were able to be honest, to feel joy, to embrace silliness, to disagree respectfully, or to experience a moment of connection, then that’s enough.

I hope participants leave having experienced a version of reality rooted in hope, honesty, growth and joy. Even if it’s just a small glimpse of what that can feel like, that seed can grow long after the workshop ends.

What motivates you personally to do your work with Voicebox?

As soon as I heard about the mission of Voicebox to promote healthy masculinity, I knew I wanted to be involved.

I’ve always felt drawn to creating spaces, conversations and art centred around masculinity. Being able to work in schools and be the kind of role model I wish I had growing up is an incredible privilege.

Voicebox is an organisation that doesn’t just speak about change it actively does the work. The support and commitment from the organisation greatly inspires me. The team shares my values and commitment to creating a better world, and that alignment strongly motivates me.

What inspires me most is seeing the transformation happen in real time. Watching a young person move from uncertainty to confidence, from judgment to openness, from silence to expression, those moments of discovery and growth are everything.

At its core, being human is about experience. If I can help someone better understand their own experience or feel more empowered within it, that is the most fulfilling part of my work at Voicebox.

What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone attending a workshop with you for the first time?

Bring your whole self.

I want to see you in the room, not a filtered or performative version, but who you are on that day, in that moment.

I believe deeply in presence. When we’re in a workshop together, we’re sharing a real, live moment in time. The more honestly you show up, the richer that space becomes for everyone.

So my advice would simply be: come as you are.

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