Youthforia: In Person!
Welcome back to the first ever Youthforia since March 2020 in person! We were based in Huyton, Knowsley for the action packed day. The theme was all things environment, so something very topical for young people.
First of all, we began with an icebreaker bingo to get people talking and reduce the awkwardness of returning after so long!
We then moved on to the tent-making exercise, splitting the group into three and tasking the creation of a tent using long sticks, tape and newspapers. We were lucky to have good weather so did this outdoors. The young people really enjoyed working together, and for some they were meeting for the first time. This task allowed discussion and creativity, with 3 completely different tents established at the end.
The next session was for me to discuss the Plastic Pollution Bill being brought forward by Lord Goldsmith. As a political person, I enjoyed explaining the basics of the Bill and then facilitating discussions around whether we were in favour and if British Youth Council should support it. The overall consensus was that while we were supportive of the concept, the Bill had no timescales or goals mentioned; the aim in general was to reduce plastic pollution. As young people, we are used to being promised solutions eventually, so I wasn’t surprised that everyone wanted a commitment in law to reduce plastic pollution. An example would be “the Government will reduce plastic pollution by 50% by 2038”. This means there is a statement and a target to reach, so politicians can be accountable.
And then everyone’s favourite part… lunch! We were treated to “Scouse” by Liverpool cafe Indigo Greens. For the ones like me who have never heard of it, it’s like a type of stew. The food was all vegan and we had gluten free bread too, ensuring all of the food was accessible to the members. It was very tasty food!
After lunch we moved onto a litter pick, to clean up the area we had held our sessions. Splitting into two teams, we scoured the grounds with bin bags and gloves, picking up plastic wrappers and cigarette butts. I was surprised at just how many cigarette butts there were, and realised that in grass, it was easy for them to pile up in corners. This was a good session for us to be out in nature making a difference, as well as getting to know the people working with us and who also cared about the environment. It’s one of the many joys of Youthforia; like-minded people from all over the North West coming together to discuss issues important to young people through different mediums. When planning the session, we as the Steering Group had emphasised the need for physical activity and the opportunity to talk and bond, as everyone was bored of Zoom and PowerPoints. I am confident that we achieved our aim!
The next session was placard making and seed sowing. I really enjoyed this one, as it was quite relaxed and everyone got stuck in doing something they really cared about. The placards were pieces of cardboard, and everyone had access to paint and markers to decorate their board with a message for an issue they cared about, such as the environment, LGBTQ+ rights and Black Lives Matter. I had decided to do an environmental board as there is a big youth strike coming up in September, with the # being “Uproot the System”. It was amazing to see the variety of issues people chose and how beautiful the placards turned out!
The last session was another discussion in groups, this time all things COP26. As a climate activist, it’s a pretty big deal, so I wanted to see what other young people thought about COP. Many of our members thought that COP and the environment was very important, but that there wasn’t enough youth representation. While we agreed young people had been given some representation at local events, it seemed that the most important conference in the climate world would not be as inclusive. We touched on issues such as classism and the global south and how indigenous people were represented.
It was a very full on day! To wrap up, we talked briefly about our new SEA project that the Steering Group has spent a few months working on behind the scenes.
I had a brilliant time, and I was glad it all went (mostly) to plan. While I have attended many Youthforias, this is the first one I have helped to plan in person (with the other ones since last year being online). Thank you to Les for supporting us with the day and to Emma and Harrison for being so easy to work with!
*Youthforia‘s members were all COVID tested to ensure a safe environment for the young people attending
*All rights reserved for the images
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