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The British Youth Council have stated the UK Government should ensure young people are at the table with decision-makers influencing the Government’s response to serious youth violence. The statement has been issued following the Home Affairs Select Committee’s inquiry which has concluded the Government’s current approach is ‘completely inadequate’.
The youth-led charity also called on Prime Minister, Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, to reiterate his predecessor’s commitment to engage young people in the solutions to serious youth violence. Over 1.1 million young people declared knife crime their biggest concern in a UK-wide ballot of young people aged 11 to 18 last year.
Commenting on the report, Amanda Chetwynd-Cowieson, Chair, British Youth Council said: “Young people should be involved in any decision making that will affect their lives, but given the severity of this issue and the fact young people think its one of the biggest issues facing young people at the moment its important young people have an opportunity to influence Government on this issue.”
The British Youth Council’s Youth Select Committee is also conducting an inquiry into the reported knife crime epidemic. The committee of eleven young people has been presented with evidence by young people, professionals, a Government minister and academics. The inquiry is due to conclude in November when the committee will make a set of recommendations to the Government.
Following passionate debates in the House of Commons, Members of Youth Parliament also chose to campaign on knife crime in 2019.
The British Youth Council are delighted to welcome new minister for Civil Society, Baroness Barran MBE, who will take on responsibility for youth policy at the Office for Civil Society following the departure of Mims Davies MP who has been in charge of the office since November 2018.
Commenting on the appointment of the new minister, Amanda Chetwynd-Cowieson, Chair, British Youth Council said: “The British Youth Council are looking forward to working with the new minister to ensure the Government remains committed to young people’s voices being heard on the issues they’re passionate about.
“It remains absolutely vital, during this time, that young people play a role in the Government decision making”
The youth-led charity is writing to welcome the Minister to the new role, however, it will also reiterate its concerns for the size of the brief which will include other responsibilities. It is the organisation’s longstanding belief, that the Government should appoint a Minister solely responsible for young people. Successive Governments have ignored cross-party support for the reintroduction of the role which has been vacant since 2010.
Lewis Addlington-Lee, Deputy Chair of the British Youth Council said: “Despite our best efforts to persuade successive Governments, we still don’t have a dedicated Youth Minister.
“Although this appears to be a smaller brief, we’ll be requesting further reassurances that the size of the brief, won’t result in young people’s priorities being ignored.”
We will also use this as an opportunity to highlight the most important issues facing young people living in the UK. In the lead up to the General Election, the British Youth Council highlighted the underfunding of youth services and the importance of ensuring young people have a meaningful opportunity to influence Brexit negotiations.
The British Youth Council have worked under various Government departments since 2011 to deliver it’s Youth Voice programme. The Youth Voice programme, which is currently supported by Department for Culture, Media and Sport, includes UK Youth Parliament and Youth Select Committee. The programme aims to give young people the opportunity to influence public decision-making at a local and national level.
On Sunday, 21st July, ten runners including young people from our programmes, staff from our incredible corporate partners Fledglink and the Bank of England and other members of the British Youth Council community, took part in the ASICS London 10K to raise money for the British Youth Council.
Our cheer team made up of staff, trustees and friends were there to offer encouragement at the half-way point to our team of runners.
Collectively raising over £2,200 the challenge event champions smashed their targets and have made a huge contribution to the British Youth Council and young people across the UK. To the runners, donors and volunteers, thank you!
Luke Thornton, Treasurer at the British Youth Council and one of the runners in our challenge event team on Sunday commented “Small charities like the British Youth Council benefit so much from challenge events like this one and I am delighted I can support their work in this way.
“It is so great to see more and more support like this for the British Youth Council and I know that it will make a huge difference to the charity.”
If you would like to take part in a challenge event or would like to organise your own fundraising event, please get in touch with our Head of Fundraising, Victoria Ward on Victoria.ward@byc.org.uk
Ministers and Members of Parliament, alongside leading figures from the world of policing, crime and policy are among those giving evidence to the British Youth Council’s Youth Select Committee on 5th and 12th July as part of an inquiry into knife crime.
The inquiry comes as a result of a UK-wide ballot of 1.1 million young people aged 11 to 18, in which young people declared knife crime their biggest concern.
More than 100,000 people signed a Parliament and Government petition demanding a debate on knife crime- resulting in Parliament debating the issue in March. Research from the House of Commons Library showed that knife crime, particularly where it affects young people, has been a ‘persistent and growing concern’ for successive governments.
Parliament’s Youth Select Committee gives young people the opportunity to scrutinise and hold inquiries into topics that matter to them. Following a call for written evidence, the 2019 Youth Select Committee will be hearing from a range of witnesses on 5 and 12 July inside the Grimmond Room of the House of Commons, usually used by MPs.
Rachel Ojo, Chair of the Youth Select Committee from Essex, said:“Young people have made it very clear that knife crime continues to be a significant concern.
“The Youth Select Committee want to hear from a whole range of people on this issue so we can find solutions that will have a demonstrable impact of the lives of young people.”
Rt. Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House of Commons said:“Every year the Youth Select Committee play a vital role in raising awareness about the issues affecting young people across the country.
“This year the Committee’s determination to tackle the epidemic of knife crime is something that I wholly support. I will be following this pioneering Committee as they investigate the scourge of knife crime and I eagerly anticipate their report.”
Now in its eighth year, the Youth Select Committee is a British Youth Council initiative, supported by the House of Commons. The eleven members of the Youth Select Committee are aged 11-18 and include Members of the UK Youth Parliament, Youth Councillors, a Young Mayor and representatives from each of the devolved nations.
The two evidence sessions will be open to the public and broadcast live on Parliament TV and UK Parliament YouTube.
At the British Youth Council, we believe young people should have a say on issues that affect them. When young people take part in our programmes and events, they gain essential skills, confidence and knowledge on how they can be heard and create change. The British Youth Council has been successfully giving young people a platform to engage with decision-makers and have a say on issues that affect them for over 70 years. Your support today will ensure we are around into the next 70 years to continue to empower young people to be inspiring change makers.
A former youth representative said: “The British Youth Council has made me a better person on the whole. Hand on heart, it has changed my life. Before, I could not communicate with other people efficiently and did not know about the magnitude of the power of my voice and what other young people can do.
“I now have the ability to publicly speak in a confident manner, including speaking at the House of Commons. It has opened so many more doors, I am now a confident leader. I highly recommend more young people to take part in Youth Voice in the British Youth Council.”
A small regular donation to the British Youth Council of £10 per month would enable even more young people to take part in our programmes, develop their skills and become agents of change. By making a regular donation, you are making an investment into a future where young people are empowered to influence and inform the decisions that affect their lives. Your support is essential in creating a world where young people take an active role in society. Thank you!
As part of Small Charities Week, we are celebrating the fantastic work of the British Youth Council made possible by our generous community of supporters, funders and partners. Thank you.
The former Chair of the British Youth Council, Anna Rose Barker, has been appointed MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for her dedication to promoting the voices of young people.
Anna Rose Barker MBE, was a trustee of the youth-led charity, the British Youth Council. Anna joined the board in 2015 as Vice Chair for Participation and Development before being elected as Chair in 2017. Within her 3 year tenure at the British Youth Council she was recognised for her passion and distinguished service to young people across the country.
Commenting on the appointment, Jo Hobbs, Chief Executive of the British Youth Council said “I’m absolutely delighted that Anna Rose Barker has been awarded an MBE. Anna was a force for good within the sector, played a paramount role in shaping the future of our charity, and remained dedicated to her role and the young people we serve.
“It’s important young people have a say on the biggest issues facing the UK and its also important they’re recognised for their contribution to social change”
Celebrating the news, Anna Rose Barker MBE, former Chair of the British Youth Council, said “It really is a privilege to be recognised in this way.
“There are so many young people across the country who are dedicated to social action and bringing about change for their communities and I hope this inspires even more young people to be active citizens.”
The British Youth Council’s trustees, who are aged 16-25, are elected and appointed to oversee the strategic and financial direction of the charity.
The British Youth Council is looking for people aged 16-25 who are motivated by a belief in the work of the British Youth Council to achieve our vision of the world where all young people are respected and able to influence and inform decisions that affect their lives or on which they have strong opinions.
The British Youth Council really is governed by young people for young people. Our board of trustees is made up of 13 people who are elected or appointed. The board not only sets the strategic direction of the organisation, but they also monitor progress, shape our activities and act as ambassadors and spokespeople for the British Youth Council in the media and elsewhere.
While your first goal as a trustee is to serve your peers and the British Youth Council, it is also a way to build your experience and networks, develop a broad range of skills and help shape the future of a world where all young people have a say and are heard.
We would encourage all ages to apply to bring both representations of those we serve alongside experience of governance. The British Youth Council needs a diverse, inclusive spread of ages and talents.
The deadline for applications is Monday 8th July 2019 at 9am.
Find out more information
The children’s charity, NSPCC, has released data showing that children and young people are facing a rising tide of racial hate crimes. Reported incidences of racially motivated abuse and bullying have increased by one fifth since 2015-16.
“I’m heartbroken to hear of the racism young BME students are facing in schools across the country and, regrettably, not shocked because their stories are very similar to my own”, says Larissa Kennedy, Trustee of the British Youth Council. In 2015 young people across the UK voted for racism and religious discrimination as one of the top five issues facing young people in the annual Make Your Mark ballot. This prompted the Youth Select Committee to undertake an inquiry into the issue in 2016.
“The Youth Select Committee received evidence from a range of young people sharing their experience of racial and religious discrimination, both in their communities and in schools,” says Kennedy. The Committee made a range of recommendations regarding actions that could be taken to better support schools and teachers to educate around this issue and to tackle racism when it does happen.
In the joint ministerial foreword to the government response, representatives of the Home Office, Department for Education and Department for Communities and Local Government stated “We are clear that no child should live in fear of racism or bullying. To this end, we have sent a clear message to schools that they need to challenge and tackle all forms of bullying and discrimination, including racism and religious discrimination.” In this response the government made no new commitments to tackle the issues raised by young people.
Whilst the sentiments of the Ministers were right, the British Youth Council believe it is time for action. Between attainment gaps, erasure from the national curriculum, disproportionate expulsions, discriminatory dress codes and these reports of racist incidents in schools, education is a right that young BME students are not currently being fully afforded. We must not only prevent and tackle racist incidents but institutional racism in the education system. The British Youth Council renews it’s call on the government to listen to young people and to work with us to actively eradicate racism in schools.
Download the Youth Select Committee’s Report on ‘Racism and Religious Discrimination’
The British Youth Council have partnered with Fledglink to deliver UK Youth Parliament’s ‘Make Your Mark’ campaign, the UK’s largest survey of young people’s views. The nation-wide ballot gives young people aged 11-18 the opportunity to shortlist issues to be debated in the House of Commons chamber by Members of Youth Parliament.
Fledglink, who provide an innovative app to help young people make more informed and confident decisions about their journey through education into employment, will sponsor the 2019 Make Your Mark campaign, enabling the charity to reach thousands of young people across the country.
Amanda Chetwynd-Cowieson, Chair of the British Youth Council, the charity which coordinated UK Youth Parliament’s Make Your Mark campaign said: “Make Your Mark has become an important part of the Youth Voice calendar. It’s a clear message to decision makers on the current priorities for young people.
“We’re delighted to be working with Fledglink to deliver such an important campaign and I’m intrigued to see which issues young people are passionate about in 2019.”
Commenting on the new partnership, Ellie Yell, Founder of Fledglink said: “Seeking a ‘curriculum for life’, work experience, work-ready skills and tackling discrimination are recurring issues for young people over the years.
“Fledglink is uniquely placed to better prepare a generation for their future and through our free app, we ensure ‘equal access’ to this support and work opportunities.
“We are so excited therefore to be able to support the British Youth Council’s mission and provide a solution for young people on issues that they are proactively campaigning for.”
Schools and colleges who wish to participate in this years Make Your Mark campaign can now register to take part. In previous years, schools and colleges have played a crucial role in getting young people involved.
The annual ballot, which has taken place each year since 2011, will see Members of Youth Parliament and volunteers across the nation, invite young people in schools and youth groups to take this opportunity to have their say, influence the Government and the decision makers in their communities. Last year, a total of 1.1 million young people from every corner of the country took part.
The British Youth Council have expressed their dissatisfaction with the Government’s continued opposition to a lower voting age. The unplanned EU Elections which take place on Thursday 23rd May will see 1.5 million young people aged 16 and 17 denied the opportunity to vote.
Over the past 16 years, the youth-led charity has been campaigning for the enfranchisement of 16 and 17 year olds. Research compiled by the Votes at 16 Coalition indicates unanimous cross-party support in the Scottish Parliament where they have introduced votes at 16 in Scottish Parliamentary elections and Local Council elections, increasing support across the green benches at Westminster and significant support in the Wales where the Welsh Assembly are due to introduce a lower voting age in 2021.
‘Unequal access to democracy’
16 and 17 year olds in Scotland had the chance to vote in the Scottish Referendum, continue to vote in the Scottish Parliamentary elections and Scottish Local Council elections and we are due to lower the voting age in the Welsh local elections in the near future. This continues to create unequal access to democracy across the UK.
Amanda Chetwynd-Cowieson, Chair of the British Youth Council said: “It is simply unbelievable that we continue to deny 16 and 17 year olds the opportunity to vote in some elections. How can the Government justify this unequal situation?”
Earlier this year the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Votes at 16 released a campaign report.