Value of youth participation in campaigning
Organisers interested in involving young people in their work can gain insight into the highs and lows with a new report launched today (August 25, 2009) by young peoples charities YouthNet and the British Youth Council (BYC).
The Respect? Campaign Evaluation assesses the work of the four-year Respect? campaign, which has worked to improve the representation of young people in the media and government.
The report documents the Respect? Young People's Advisory Group's (RYPAG) achievements and challenges and includes a list of top tips for other organisations wanting to benefit from involving young people in their activities. YouthNet and BYC commissioned an independent writer to produce the report with the intention of providing an example of best practice to other organisations working with similar young-people led projects.
Sophie Manning, RYPAG member since 2005 (22), says: "Having grown up with the campaign, it's been great to look back on, and feel proud of, what we've achieved, and to have the opportunity to tell an independent person my opinions.
"I felt really valued throughout the campaign and working with YouthNet and BYC has changed my life. I used to want to be a journalist, but now I want to work in public affairs and public policy, and beyond personal decisions, I also feel like I've really made a difference to society because the issues surrounding public perceptions of young people are changing and I know I've contributed to that."
Fiona Dawe, Chief Executive of YouthNet, says: "This document is a valuable tool for other organisations seeking guidance on how to work with young people, and a testament to what Respect? has achieved so far.
"We hope it will be of use to other organisations when planning similar projects, as putting young people in a central role is an extremely strengthening process."
The Respect? campaign is led by a group of 16 to 24-year-olds and was one of the first to challenge negative portrayals of young people in the media in 2005 - an issue which is now high on the agenda for policy makers and youth organisations as well as young people.
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Media Enquiries:
For further media information – or to arrange interviews – please contact (insert your name) at YouthNet on 020 7250 5716 or out-of-hours on 07766 660 755. Email media@youthnet.org
Notes to editors
1. YouthNet is an online charity - founded by broadcaster Martyn Lewis in 1995 - which aims to engage, inform and inspire young people. YouthNet does this through two award winning websites: www.TheSite.org, the guide to life for 16 to 24-year-olds and www.do-it.org.uk, the UK's volunteering resource.
2. The British Youth Council (BYC) is a youth-led organisation for young people aged 25 and under across the UK. BYC links up with a community of member organisations and network of local Youth Councils to empower young people to have their say and be heard on the issues they care about. For more information see www.byc.org.uk
3. The Respect? Campaign was created in 2005 in response to research, commissioned by YouthNet and BYC, which showed that young people were increasingly concerned about their negative portrayal in both the media and politics. A summary of the resulting report 'The Voice behind the hood: young people's views on anti-social behaviour, the media and older people', was published in July 2006. A copy of the full Respect? Campaign report can be downloaded via www.youthnet.org or www.byc.org.uk
4. In November 2008, Respect? launched a new drive to urge young people to take ownership of the media and make their opinions heard by using comment opportunities and new technology. The launch in London's Fleet Street was supported by former BBC broadcaster Martyn Lewis who asked 1,000 young people to pledge to take action into their own hands. The pledge is still open for signatures at www.TheSite.org/respect
5. In July 2009, Liam Pearce of the Respect? campaign was awarded a Positive Images Award by Children & Young People Now magazine for 'Best involvement by a young person in promoting positive media portrayal.'
6. Katherine Cowan, the author of the report, is a social researcher and consultant with experience in the development of policy and good practice guidance. See www.katherinecowan.net for more information.