By YEUK Ambassador
UK Youth Voice held their annual conference in the beautiful Avon Tyrrell this month. My fellow Ambassadors and I had the amazing opportunity to represent Youth Employment UK at the conference. It was brilliant meeting such inspiring young people from all over the UK.
The weekend at the conference consisted of taking part in various activities such as Zip Wire, Canoeing, and Kayaking. Furthermore UK Youth voice had organized a range of workshops based around promoting social action through creative arts. Each workshop highlighted the vast amount of techniques a young person can implement when creating their own social action campaign or project. Additionally the activities also served as an initiative in encouraging young people to express themselves and gain confidence in their own abilities.
One of my favorite workshops during the conference was the ‘Democracy challenge’. It involved particular activities linking to youth participation in the local and general elections. It was helpful in understanding what young people as individuals felt in relation to political issues. Many young people at the conference expressed how disengaged they feel when in comes to politics. Moreover emphasis was placed on the fact that not enough information is available and accessible for young people in terms of voting in the local and general elections. One of the main reasons for this is being unaware of the policies each party is proposing especially in regards to reforms surrounding the education and welfare system.
The UK Youth Voice members showcased an entertaining act to encourage more young people to become registered voters. It exhibited the importance of young people needing to take a more active role politically in order to get their voices heard. Statistics have continuously revealed the falling percentage of the number of young people who vote between the ages of 18-24. It was a useful method of portraying politics in a more vibrant and positive manner.
Additionally, Charlotte Hill, CEO of Step up to serve, gave an interesting presentation about her organisation which ultimately aims to double the number of young people taking part in social action by 2020. Furthermore it aims to embed social action within the national curriculum and promote the benefits of volunteering. At the end of the day an incredible amount can only be achieved when young people work together as a team within their local communities to bring about positive change.
The conference displayed how talented and hard working young people are. With the right guidance and support, each individual has the potential to achieve beyond their set career aspirations.
