Facilitator Spotlight: Will Hudson

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 Will Hudson 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 have a mixed background of participatory theatre, therapeutic and academic work that has gone on lots of interesting twists and turns in my 20 year career!

I initially began facilitation work because over the years I've become more and more interested in group learning processes and how people share knowledge and create change together. I find it really powerful when I bring ideas to the room that resonate with others and get them thinking in new and unexpected ways. Participants then throw ideas back at me and that helps me to learn and expand my practice, which I find really enriching.

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

After many years working with different kinds of groups,  I think I'm able to work very intuitively; to read the room to work out what a group might need from me in a given moment.

With some groups,  that might mean giving people space to thrash out ideas or go on tangents, and with others, I might need to prompt them a bit more, or straight out give my point of view and use that as a springboard.

It’s not “one-size-fits-all” with facilitation - I have to be on my toes and meet each group with an open heart, ready to be surprised!

How would you describe your facilitation style in 3 words?

Always. Be. Yourself

What makes a 'successful' session for participants?

You can have brilliant ideas and techniques but I believe what makes a session really impactful is the care and energy that you bring to the space. If you're grounded and truly care about people and are real with them - that’s when authentic communication and change happen.

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

The very first thing that I do before a session is to check in with myself to be conscious of my  energy in the room. If my energy is relaxed then that has an immediate impact on the group - it gives everyone else permission to let their guard down a little and have fun. Group situations can be nerve-wracking, so I want everyone to feel at ease with me and that way we can build trust quickly.

I try to bring a bit of myself to the space. I’m not just there as a neutral onlooker, facilitating other people’s ideas - I'm also an active participant and fellow human being! 

I also invite any group I work with to discuss their conditions for the workshop. How do they want to show up for each other? How can we debate ideas but still stay connected and respectful to each other? They might not have considered some of these questions before, or are shy to speak, so I leave it as an “active contract” throughout the session. People might realise mid-way through what's important for them in collaborative working, and that’s fine. There's always space for them to communicate this as part of a dynamic group learning process. 

I make sure throughout a session that nobody is left alone. Not everyone has to speak, but I state that everyone has a right to be there and to have their voices heard and presence felt.

What’s been your most memorable facilitation experience?

There've been quite a few over the years!

But one that comes to mind is a couple of years ago for Voicebox, where I was working with about 50 college students who were studying mechanics and engineering. I ran the session in a mechanics workshop, so all the students were sitting on bits of metal and car bonnets! Against the background noise of clanks and bangs, a young man honestly laid out the pressure he felt to conceal his emotions, and the bearing that had on his relationships. It was powerful to see a young man speak so sensitively, whilst surrounded by car tyres and engine oil - and breaking the stereotypes that might be placed on him in such an environment. 

I feel humble to be a facilitator in these moments, in which participants feel enough trust and confidence to be vulnerable. They don't know me at all, and yet they feel able to share powerful insights. This for me is success: championing the courage to be vulnerable - and opening up opportunities for discovery and growth.

What do you hope participants take away from your sessions?

A greater sense of curiosity about the world and other people. To understand themselves a bit better. And to believe that they can be instigators of the change they want to see.

What motivates you personally to do your work with Voicebox?

I felt a real calling to work with Voicebox and devote my life and career to opening up conversations around masculinity (I’m now doing a PhD about it!).

We're at a critical point in our history regarding masculinity and a lot of young people feel confused about it, or how to respond to the social pressures - both in the real world and online. There's a lot of talk about “toxic masculinity” which is having a very negative impact on young men and creating divisions rather than aiding communication.

Many are interpreting “toxic masculinity” as a personal attack - that there is something inherently wrong with being a man. Such beliefs can cause men to double-down on traditional (and often quite limited or harmful) narratives and block other, more authentic ways of expressing themselves.

As a result I feel that a lot of young people are missing out on the joy and curiosity of being young, and the fact that learning about masculinity/gender can be a really positive, empowering process.

This is why Voicebox's mission for me is so important, and why I do this work.  It’s about helping young people, whatever their gender,  to live authentic lives according to their values, rather than conforming to or reacting strongly against external narratives/ideologies. It’s about instilling the courage in young people to reshape masculinity in its many diverse forms and bring it into the 21st century as a positive force for change.

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

Lean into it with an open heart. Bring yourself to the room. Have fun! (Whoops, is that three?!).

Find out more about Voicebox's workshops