Celebrating International Youth Day 2022

This year’s International Youth Day is all about ‘intergenerational solidarity’ and the importance of working across age-groups to tackle the issues impacting society. So what better way to celebrate the day than by catching up with a member of both our Youth Advisory Board and Peer Action Collective (PAC).

We chat with Lily from to find out why she decided to get involved and how she’s getting along.

Why did you want to get involved in PAC and our Youth Advisory Board?

“I decided to get involved in PAC, which opened up the opportunity to join the Youth Advisory Board, because through studying youth work at degree level my passion in making change for young people has grown. I’ve grown up seeing violence around me in different ways and have seen how it impacts young people. This motivated my decision to get involved in these projects to try and prevent youth violence.”

What has being part of the Youth Advisory Board and PAC involved?

“As part of the YEF’s Youth Advisory Board I’ve had the opportunity to travel to London to take part in a training day on Trauma-Informed Practice, which was really interesting and fun. In my PAC group I’ve also got to see different parts of the South-West and learnt how violence impacts different areas. Soon I’ll also be going to an overnight residential where we will have a day of fun outdoor activities and a day of training. These are all things I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do without these projects.”

What have you enjoyed most about being part of YAB and PAC and why?

“The learning opportunities I’ve had from both PAC and the Youth Advisory Board have been a big part of these projects, along with the experience they’ve given me working with young people. Being part of these groups I’ve learnt a lot about youth violence and the importance of preventing it, and I’ve been able to push myself to do things I wouldn’t have thought of doing before. Putting my voice into the world has always been something I’ve wanted to do and have felt passionate about but I never knew how to, so it feels empowering that I have been given a way to do that.”

Why do you think it’s so important that young people’s voices are heard when it comes to tackling social problems like youth violence?

“The problem of youth violence is about young people. Therefore, I think it only makes sense that young people have their say and are at the front of the decision-making process when tackling it. I also believe that if the young people are supporting tackling the problem, then their support will be more personalised and will have young people’s best interests at heart.”

Read Part Two: Peter Babudu, Assistant Director of Research & Youth Understanding, explains why young people’s involvement in the YEF’s work is vital for creating change.