The Youth Voice Forum held its monthly meeting on Thursday 16th of June which focused on the Cost of Living.
The Cost of Living YVF session was chaired by Charlotte Jeffreys (Princes Trust). The session explored how young people feel about the current cost of living and what this means for young people when it comes to planning for the future.
Charlotte Jeffreys (Princes Trust) provided definitions for key terms that are often used in the media and by economists when discussing the cost of living such as:
- Inflation
- GDP
- Recession
- Disposable Income
As we gradually come out of the pandemic young people expressed the uncertainty they feel, which has been further exacerbated by the cost of living crisis.
The youth discussion highlighted:
- Young people mentioned how the cost of living had altered their planning for the future, for example due to rising costs they wouldn’t consider moving to a city unless they had a really high paying job.
- The different needs of young people in accessing the labour market and a one size fits all approach doesn’t work.
- Recognised the value of work but there are particular barriers in finding good quality work.
- Young people expressed the conflict they currently face of working to live or working to pursue passions and develop careers, which has become a constant battle for young people.
- Young people also mentioned the difficulty they faced when trying to access benefits that they may be entitled to “it’s a horrible process” with no personalisation, which discouraged them from applying.
The discussion further highlighted there are so many different experiences, different starting points and we have to consider them all. Young people mentioned “having to have that resilience,” which was something young people expressed they needed to have in an ever uncertain world.Support for all young people is essential especially if we want them to be able to thrive.
More about the Youth Voice Forum
The Youth Voice Forum (YVF) is chaired by four young people within the founding organisations. Organisations that retain YEG membership are welcome to invite young people to participate in the YVF.
The purpose of the YVF is to create a safe space for young people to come together and discuss the views, experiences & challenges that they face. Here they also support the work that the YEG do and have an active voice in influencing policy. The YVF ensures policy responses genuinely reflect young people’s needs and perspectives by providing young people with opportunities to identify what changes need to be made and discuss solutions to the problems they themselves have identified.
Youth Employment Group
