The Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy launched a new National Youth Strategy this week – by coming to Bristol and meeting with young people she says will be at the heart of it.
The Labour minister visited Empire Fighting Chance and met 20-year-old Serena Wiebe, who is a boxing coach, anti-knife crime campaigner and youth mentor at the gym project, along with groups of young people from around the city.
Serena chaired a ‘round table gathering’ inside a boxing ring with Lisa Nandy and young people from youth clubs and organisations from across the city including the Robins Foundation, Southmead Development Trust, the Ranch, and Grassroots Communities and Youth Moves from South Bristol.
A spokesperson for the Department for Culture said the visit continued the Government’s drive to ‘understand the experiences and challenges facing young people today’.
“The National Youth Strategy will prioritise putting the views of young people at the centre of decision-making on policies that affect them, delivering better coordinated youth services and policy at a local, regional and national level,” the Government spokesperson said. “It will make sure decision-making moves away from a one-size-fits all approach, handing power back to young people and their communities, while rebuilding a thriving and sustainable sector.
“This initiative will help the government deliver on its missions to rebuild Britain, break down barriers to opportunity, make our streets safer, as part of delivering a decade of renewal across the nation. As the Youth Strategy is developed, young people from across the country will be given the opportunity to play a major role towards the support services, facilities and opportunities they need outside the school gates to benefit their lives and futures – with the roundtable in Bristol kicking off the first phase of engagement,” he added.
Serena has been at the forefront of Empire Fighting Chance’s part of the Together For Change campaign, going to Downing Street with actor Idris Elba recently to call for greater action over knife crime. She said it was important young people are listened to.
““I am pleased we had an opportunity to have a roundtable discussion in Bristol today,” she said. “It’s important that young people have a voice and platform to express their opinions and views on key issues that affect their lives.
“This isn’t always the case, so I would like to thank the Secretary of State for convening this and hope that some key actions take place as a result. Remember, young people are the future leaders of tomorrow,” she added.
The Government said it will be looking to publish the new National Youth Strategy in 2025, and to do that, following the roundtable in Bristol this week, the Government will set up a Youth Advisory Group to allow young people to influence and challenge policy decisions. “In addition, Government will continue to engage widely with young people through a variety of methods – including face-to-face engagements, focus groups and surveys,” a spokesperson added.
Together For Change Aims
Set up a task force – We will develop a community-driven task force to meet and discuss the issue, how best to tackle it and how we can make a real difference with those in power.
Getting knives off the street – We will work with the campaigners to raise awareness of initiatives designed to get knives off the streets.
Social media – We will look at the Online Safety Bill and see if it goes far enough where it comes to harmful knife-related content on social media and how easy it is for children to see.
Raise awareness – We will work together to raise the awareness of how knife crime is linked to poverty, education, employment, social exclusion and the collapse in youth services
Lobby the government -We will cover the issue in the context of the General Election, using our findings from the taskforce and our reporting to lobby for change
Hold power to account – We will scrutinise and hold Avon and Somerset Police and Bristol City Council to account on their plans and models to make Bristol safer
Lisa Nandy said the engagement with young people would be the ‘most ambitious’ the country has ‘ever seen’.
“The conversation that took place in Bristol today has kicked off what we intend to be the most ambitious government engagement with young people the country has ever seen, and will be a vital part of delivering our Plan for Change,” she said. “By putting young people at the heart of the National Youth Strategy, this government will put the country’s youth back in charge of their own destiny and shape policy that reflects their needs and aspirations for the future,” she added.