Week 1: Developing our Big Local Youth Campaign Ideas

By Neha Soni

Week 1: Tuesday 25th July 2017

The Youth Social Action Team was split into two groups and the day began with an icebreaker. This helped us find out more about the new volunteers and a bit too much about the existing volunteers! After getting to know each other better, the teams brainstormed different campaign ideas. Ideas ranged from; mental health awareness, acid attacks, helping people realise their full potential and littering.
 
Each group then had to pick their ‘top’ ideas and present why they chose them. After much debate and teamwork, the top ideas were anti-bullying, politics/life-skills and mental health/cultural integration. Team A chose anti-bulling because it made citizens feel unsafe in the community and often leads to depression. Team B chose politics and life-skills because there is a lack of community awareness on political issues and access to build on their life-skills. Team B also chose mental health and cultural integration as many people who do not speak English as their first language may find it difficult to do everyday tasks resulting in anxiety.
 
The groups then had to choose their final ideas (see below), expand on how they would put it into action and create a slogan. Team A’s anti-bullying campaign had the slogan “time to rise”. It aimed to encourage youths to speak out if they are being bullied by contacting the team via phone, email or directly. They would encourage youths to reach out by speaking in primary and secondary schools, designing a website, creating safe communication between the team and youths and running fun events with the community.
 
Team B’s final idea was politics and courses. Their slogan was “live, love and learn how to use your voice”. Their campaign targets 10 - 20 year olds and encourages active citizenship. Provisional session ideas included survival skills, debate night, suggestion box and issues of societal importance.
 
The Youth Social Action Team took a majority vote to decide which idea would be more viable. Nadia Patel counted the votes and announced that the politics and courses campaign had won. Both campaigns contained amazing ideas and hopefully the future courses can incorporate anti-bullying.

ANTI-BULLYING – Time to Rise
(Team A: Rajan, Samhita, Sharan, Cammeron and Layba)

• Going to primary/secondary schools for assembly – start from the bottom
• Holding events with the community
• Design a website which can have peoples experience
• Have something similar to Childline as a drop in service
• Interview community member
• Make leaflets
• Create a website
• Create a YouTube channel
• Workshop
• Citizens Advice Bureau
• Child Helpline
• Feeling unsafe

 
POLITICS AND COURSES – Live, Love and Learn how to use your Voice
(Team B: Huzayma, Serena, Rhys, Haroon and Amadeus)

Target audience: 10 – 20 year olds
 
Preparation: 3weeks

• Contacting external businesses
• Promotion and marketing
• Session planning

 
When: To run every half term or end of term
 
Roles:

• Media team
• Budgeting officer
• Connections team
• Volunteers

 
Resources needed:

• Computers
• Open space for sessions
• Makeshift Kidzania
• Telephone

 
Session ideas:

• Survival skills (contact cadets?)
• Kidzania
• Debate night
• Suggestion box
• Mistakes/misconceptions in politics
• Awareness or local political hierarchy
• First aid course (contact St Johns ambulance?)