POLICY & PRACTICE: Soapbox - Young people should be given more of ahelping hand

Sport is a great way of doing this and our initiative, Kids Gloves, aims to give youth-inspired social innovation a platform so that young people's expertise can be developed. Kids Gloves is a non-contact boxing project, which is non-profitable and offered free via a range of satutory and voluntary partnership in areas of London such as Newham, Bromley and Poplar. We want to build the kids' self-esteem and teach them discipline. Boxing teaches you not to give up on life and makes you dust yourself off and come back stronger.

It is vital that young people are consulted by parents, teachers, police and the government to get a clear understanding of their personal and social development, their attitudes, experiences and views. If young people were appointed as a government minister for a day, their concerns would be about issues such as crime and bullying. They would also create more opportunities for social contact, develop new skills, and take part in activities outside of their financial reach.