Launching our Youth Voice Census earlier this month, some of our Youth Ambassador Board members join us to reflect on what young people have told us.
Here is what our Youth Ambassador Board had to say after the launch:
Saida:
I found the census launch to be very informative and easy to understand as it highlighted and gave me the opportunity to comment on issues that are being faced by the youth.
The fact that only 33% of those in school think they know what skills employers look for didn’t surprise me as not enough emphasis is put on training young people to develop themselves to be ready for the labour market. I and many of my peers, as well as more across the country didn’t get valuable time with employers in school-workshops/work experience/guidance due to covid 19 but hopefully in the future more is done by the government to teach young people employability skills.
Sophie:
The finding that mental health was identified by young people as a key barrier to accessing educational and employment opportunities is sadly not surprising. The pandemic has negatively impacted young people’s mental health immensely and the mental health system, already a postcode lottery prior to the pandemic, has faced additional pressure which has real implications for young people seeking to access support for their mental health. I was fortunate that I was able to access short term mental health support through my university, but I know that many of my peers are not so lucky and have been left without necessary mental health support at time of great need.
Mental health is often the key to unlocking educational and employment opportunities for young people. Without properly funded mental health support for all young people, regardless of their background, equality of opportunity is nothing but a pipe dream. Mental health services need to be properly funded, local and co-designed with young people in mind so that they feel able to access support when they need it. As part of this process, it is imperative that young people’s concerns are truly heard. That’s why I am proud to be supporting Youth Employment as a Youth Ambassador board member, ensuring that all young people are heard from across the country.
Amran:
The Census Launch event related to me in many ways, as the statistics and data stood out due to it being all too familiar. If not me, then my peers could relate to what was found in the youth voice census findings.
I think that mental health is very prevalent especially to those who are in education. Most of the time education is their life and it is their routine but this has been disrupted due to the covid outbreak. This also affects other aspects in life, such as mental health. Jobs were lost including mine and it became clear to me that my mental health is at all time high when there is great job security.
Jack:
The way that the census was summarised was great because it told everyone the key information they needed to know and how they could look further into these sections going forward. Overall, the results did not surprise me as it showed how covid has gone and the areas that need to be worked on going forward like traineeships. It will be interesting to see how these change at the next census when covid is not here anymore and we are back to a normal post covid world.
I personally was flattered to have been asked to join the youth panel to give our lived experience. These were received very well, and it meant all the people on call could understand the census from a young person’s point of view which was so rewarding.
If you would like to find out more about our Youth Ambassadors and volunteering with us you can here.
