Who’s Asking?

A look at innovative work involving young people in planning and organising projects in Hackney

Reporting by Tom Levine

The housing charity IDS has been working to bring young tenants into the management and decision making process on the Stoke Newington, Navarino Mansions and Evelyn Court Estates. I met with Steve Curtis to talk about the principals of involving young people.

Steve is in the process of leading a peer research project to get a group of young people to set up their own residents group

This approach needs energy and enthusiasm – to get the peer researchers for the estates project Steve has been in contact with about 100 people to find 20, and the researchers circumstances can sometimes change rapidly making it impossible for them to continue the work. But it is, Steve says, well worth it when the work helps young people and the organisations they become involved in to develop.

 

Being part of a Shore Thing

Shoreditch Out Way is hosting a Youth Forum, here one of the members tells us what it is like to be part of it...

Reporting By Adama Monique Kamara

Beingpart of the steering group for the Shoreditch youth forum “Shore Thing” is quite a challenge. The people who are part of the steering group are people who are strong minded, have a lot to say and say it well.

As in everything in life there are good parts and bad parts of being part of a youth forum.

We try change our community and we try to give young people a voice so they can be heard; though the reality is not many people have heard of who we are and what we are about, plus there are some people who just don’t appreciate all the active things we are doing to make Shoreditch a better place.

However the good things out way the bad things tremendously; we get to go on youth residential trips, meet new people and see new places.

Many people will think that being part of a youth forum will be boring and time consuming, but the meetings can be fun. We talk about and discuss all the issues which affect young people in Shoreditch and we also talk about less boring things too, like organising basketball tournaments and arranging parties.

To be involved and to contribute in making a change is a real warm feeling and to do it with those who also want to make a change is really good too.

I have made many new friends and learned many new things from these people and learned a lot about myself and what I can achieve.

Please see www.shorething.org.uk for more information about the project