Over 35 young people from across the Isle of Wight recently participated in a dynamic and engaging Youth Voice Conference held at Newport Minster, designed to amplify their voices and address key issues facing their generation.
The event, supported by the High Sheriff Graham Biss, and hosted by Richard Quigley MP and Joe Robertson MP, featured a packed agenda of interactive sessions and discussions, providing a platform for young people aged 13-24 to share their perspectives and shape the future of their community.
The day commenced with four interactive bases located at key Newport venues: Newport Minster, The Youth Hub, Newport Youth Café, and Independent Arts. Each base offered unique opportunities for engagement:
• Newport Minster: Led by Community Engagement Officer Hannah Griffiths, focused on understanding barriers to access, desired events, and effective advertising strategies.
• The Youth Hub: Facilitated by Employment Coordinator Matthew Hall, provided insights into support services, future aspirations, and youth trust development.
• Newport Youth Café: Run by Pete Luther of Revive Newport, highlighted support services and offered recreational activities like pool, table tennis, and PS4.
• Independent Arts: Led by Community Development Manager Matt Hitt, explored creative projects and gathered feedback on a six-point plan addressing key issues such as employment, mental health, and transport.
A vibrant Marketplace of Opportunities featured over 20 organisations, including MHST, Isle of Wight Council, Wightlink, and Kooth, showcasing available resources and support. A total of 6 youth providers, including Isle of Wight College, Breakout Youth, and Fire Cadets, signed up their young people to attend.
In the afternoon, participants engaged in 2 thought-provoking discussion topics: ‘Your Voice, Your Island’ and ‘Build a Charity’. Your Voice, Your Island challenged participants to act as the new Island Council, identifying key challenges and proposing solutions. Build a Charity encouraged them to design a youth-focused charity of the future.
Richard Quigley MP and Joe Robertson MP hosted a lively Q&A session, addressing the concerns and questions of the young attendees.
Feedback from the young people was overwhelmingly positive, with favourite parts of the day including the afternoon discussions, MP Q&A, interactive bases, networking, and hearing other young people’s viewpoints. Key words used to describe the day included informative, fun, interesting, collaborative, youth voice, eye-opening, engaging and being heard.
Victoria Lawton, Youth Engagement Officer, expressed her gratitude:
“A massive thank you to the young people, both MP’s, the High Sheriff, the base leaders, and all the organisations that attended the Youth Voice Conference. I’m incredibly proud to see so many young people actively engaging, sharing their ideas, and shaping the future. The feedback you have provided is amazing, and I hope you enjoyed the day. Your voices matter, and your involvement is a powerful step towards creating positive change.”
The event was made possible by the support of Newport Minster, with Hannah Griffiths, Community Engagement Coordinator, playing a crucial role in its success. Eight staff and three volunteers from the Youth Trust supported the running of the event.
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