Children deserve to be heard and given an active role in shaping policies and services that affect their lives. That’s been a big focus for the Children’s Commissioner and a big driver for creating the Youth Ambassador programme, to give young people a platform to bring their ideas and views to decision-makers.
Two of the current cohort of Youth Ambassadors, Naemi and Zani, recently attended the annual in-person meeting of the National Youth Sector Advisory Board (NYSAB). The Board meets on a quarterly basis, to bring about radical change in how society and policy makers recognise youth work.
The meeting brought together youth leaders, government departments, and sector organisations to explore key developments in youth policy and practice. From interactive deep-dives on the forthcoming National Youth Strategy and Young Futures Programme, to Q&A sessions on enrichment, funding and workplace transformation, Naemi and Zani were right at the heart of it: challenging ideas, sharing their insights and making sure young people’s voices weren’t just heard, but taken seriously.
Here, they share their reflections from the day — what they learnt, what inspired them, and why it’s so important that young people are part of the conversation:
Naemi says:
“The day was a fantastic insight into government and non-governmental plans for young people: their enrichment, their education and their support networks. Hearing from the Home Office, and its hopes for violence reduction units and hubs was particularly interesting, and the overall movement of youth agencies towards in-person services and mechanisms. In turn, our feedback on the importance of online tools to allow for anonymised support was also significant, in ensuring that young people could still access the help they need, if they were too anxious or uneasy about attending in person. What was most fantastic, was the fact that these groups were notably writing down our feedback, indicating that we are moving closer to a political system that works with, and not just for young people.”
Zani says:
“I thoroughly enjoyed the meeting and was astounded by the passion from the adults there about youth work! There were a couple of moments where there was jargon that was hard for us to understand but it’s understandable as the meeting was mainly aimed towards adults working in the field.“One aspect I really appreciated was how keen the adults there to interact with us and get our opinions to represent children and young people, it made me feel inclusive and welcomed as my voice was being put across.”
