Spotlight On: Group Voice and Influence at The Youth Association – The Leeds Community Ambassadors

Being involved in a youth voice group is one of the ways in which young people can share their ideas and influence change within their community. Youth voice groups support the Child Friendly Leeds 12 wishes, for all children and young people to be able to express their views, feel heard and be involved in decisions that affect their lives (wish number 3).

The Voice, Influence and Change Team met with the Leeds Community Ambassadors, a group of young people supported by Anna Smith (Lead Youth Worker) and Emily Jones (Senior Youth Worker) at the Youth Association. The aim of the group is to plan and execute social action projects to improve the local community, thereby increasing participation, influence and volunteerism in young people in Halton.

The Leeds Community Ambassadors meet weekly and believe there are many benefits in taking part, including having a voice, being able to say what needs to be said, being able to talk to other young people and increased confidence. The group has five dedicated members:

• Debbie, age 14 – “the main character”
• Jonny, age 15 – “the most honest”
• Lilly, age 15 – “the funniest”
• Chloe, age 15– “the most sarcastic”
• Jaidon, age 13 – “the sporty one”

One of the key things the group would like to tackle in their community is the “stereotype that all young people are bad”. Their hard work therefore not only supports young people, but other groups within their community too. They aim to understand the issues different groups face and then develop and deliver solutions. They previously made and hand delivered Christmas cards to their neighbours, as well as collected and distributed food parcels to those who needed them the most. The group have recently planned and obtained funding to host a Bingo morning for older people in their local area.

The Ambassadors are currently working on a project to develop a youth voice forum, aimed at bringing young people together from the Leeds Youth Alliance. The forum is being planned and developed by the Ambassadors and they got the ball rolling at a recent residential, where they held a workshop to gather the views of young people on various aspects of the design, for example, the effectiveness of in person versus online forums.

Aside from their many projects, the group would like to share three main issues that they believe decision makers need to be aware of:

• Knife crime
• Vaping, smoking and drug use
• Violence and verbal abuse

They believe that education, particularly via campaigns and talks in school, is needed to address these challenges.

The Leeds Community Ambassadors have strong passions and even stronger ambitions. They radiated warmth, energy and positivity, all of which can be felt through their key message to other young people:

“Make a lot out of a little – whatever it is, make it joyful and make it fun”