NYA Update: Celebrating young people's achievement in No.10

On 13 June, the Prime Minister invited a range of people from the youth sector and others with an interest in social action to celebrate young people's achievements. Young people themselves met with David Cameron and civil society minister Nick Hurd prior to the event and then some presented their stories of volunteering to the assembled audience.

NYA was there with our partners from O2 to celebrate the award to our partnership of Social Action Funding of around £900k, matched by nearly £500k in cash and in-kind support from O2 itself. Our programme, which works through great local partners, is aimed at engaging young people coming off National Citizen Service in more social action, as well as reaching out into communities to find young people who are not likely to volunteer normally.

Standing in the reception, I was reminded that several years before, under a different political regime, I had been at a very similar event under the banner of Shine to showcase the great things young people do.

It reminded me that changing perceptions of young people; recognising them as citizens with a positive contribution to make; enabling them to take their ideas for social improvement and change, are enduring agendas that transcend the political.

Sadly, it also reminded me that we still have a long way to go. Later that evening this truism was reinforced when watching Newsnight, its special report was around the failure of the care system to protect teenage runaways. The film featured, of course, fuzzy images of hooded teenagers, hanging about “menacingly” on street corners and drinking illicitly. No mention of the Cabinet Office press release that told our good news story.

Of course, we have been around the block with the conversation about whether we shape the media or the media shapes us. But actually I suspect it’s a bit of both and the challenge that successive governments, and lots of youth organisations, have tried, and failed, to overcome is breaking that cycle and changing our paradigm around our youth. At NYA, like many others, we keep chipping away as best we can, highlighting in every aspect of our work that if you give young people opportunities they will take them and consistently exceed your expectations of them.