Youth voices help shape policy change
Better access to mental health support was among a range of measures called for at an event to give young people a greater voice in tackling knife crime, gangs and exploitation.
The Hope Hack, organised by Nottingham and Nottinghamshire’s Violence Reduction Partnership, was aimed at giving young people aged 12 and 25 the chance to help provide solutions that could influence professional services and policy.
The event in Newark today was the first Hope Hack to be held in Nottinghamshire and was the 40th such event to take place across the country.
As well as hearing from keynote speakers and enjoying creative performances, young people took part in workshops to gather their views.
Hope Hacks are run in partnership with the Hope Collective, an organisation that aims to amplify the voices of young people to influence policy and decision-making on issues that affect them.
This initiative is part of the legacy of Damilola Taylor, who was tragically killed in 2000. Before his untimely death, Damilola wrote in his diary about his hopeful and positive aspirations and his desire to change the world for the better.
In line with this theme, young people across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire were consulted and voted to focus on the key issues of mental health, knife crime and gangs, and exploitation.
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Angela Kandola, who attended the event, said: “It’s really important that young people are consulted to help shape services and policies that affect them.
“We want to empower young people to help shape their own futures and give valuable insight into what works for young people when we are creating services for them.
“Today’s event has been really inspirational, and everyone involved has taken away some fresh ideas and energy to help improve how we support our young people in Nottinghamshire.”
Speakers at the event, held at YMCA Newark and Sherwood, in Lord Hawke Way, Newark, included:
- Emily Patterson, a senior youth worker at YMCA, who shared her powerful lived experience of being affected by exploitation.
- Jesse Anim, who delivered an engaging and interactive workshop on how to potentially save a life in situations involving serious assault and injury.
- Sergeants Vanessa Wake and Joshua Lee-Taylor, who provided insights into the work of the police’s Prevention Hub Team and their efforts to keep young people safe.
- Sam Young and Michael Woods from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), who discussed both the challenges young people face and the support services available to them.
The event also celebrated young people’s creativity and talent. The audience enjoyed performances from Heaven Mwamba, a talented Nottingham-based R&B artist, and Zayden Lindsey, a local young poet who delivered powerful spoken word pieces aligned with the event’s themes.
Attendees included a wide range of partners and stakeholders, such as:
- Chief Inspector Kylie Davies, Knife Crime Lead for Nottinghamshire Police.
- Representatives from the Youth Justice Service, the charity Change Grow Live, Nottinghamshire County Council Youth Service, and the National Justice Museum.
- The High Sheriff of Nottingham, Ed Attenborough.
- Members of the community and voluntary sector.
The Hope Hack event was aimed at allowing young people using their voices to provide solutions that can influence professional services and policy.
During the scheduled workshops, young people shared clear and innovative ideas on how mental health support services could be improved to better meet their needs.
They also discussed how services can more effectively support those who are at risk of, or currently experiencing, exploitation. In relation to knife crime, young people highlighted the importance of providing meaningful support to those affected and offered suggestions on how this could be strengthened.
It highlighted the urgent need for more youth representation in decision-making spaces and offered organisations the opportunity to take away valuable insights to improve how they support young people.
