Youth voice matters
Young people's voices are at the very heart of all we do. That's why we worked with our partners at Oasis to explore the importance of youth voice. Oasis works nationally to build strong communities in areas hit hardest by poverty — which includes serving 33,000 students across 54 schools. Here, young people from Oasis Academy Hadley share how their confidence has grown by attending a youth voice workshop.
Youth Voice
Exploring youth voice
We worked with our partners at Oasis to explore the importance of youth voice, for society, community, and for young people themselves.
Through attending a workshop on youth voice, young people from Oasis Academy Hadley learnt more about what youth voice means and how they can use their voices for change. Watch the video and hear them talk about how they've built their confidence:
Young person quote
We are the future generation, and it's important that we're able to make decisions that affect us and are going to affect us.
Workshop
Building confidence
The Youth Voice workshop at Oasis Academy Hadley focused on exploring what youth voice meant to the young people attending, and giving them an opportunity to express their opinions to make sure their voices are heard.
Throughout the workshop, they were given spaces to share their views and affect change in their community, and in feeling heard, significantly built their confidence in themselves and their voices.
Young person quote
What I took from this is to use my voice more. Because I know I'll be heard. If I ask my friends and people in my year what they want to see change, I feel like I can try to organise something.
Encouraging young people
In encouraging young people to voice their opinions and organise to make an impact, we're ensuring their voices are at the heart of our work, the policies that will affect them and their futures, and in their wider communities.
Youth voice isn't just about speaking to the young people we work with but also about working with organisations like Oasis to ensure that we are listening to young people who don't access our services, who are still out there wanting to change things.
Luella Goold, Youth Voice Lead, The Children's Society
