Speaking at the Youth-led Delivery Solutions Conference in London last week, John Bateman, chief executive of UK Youth, said while young people were now consulted more often, they were still not being placed at the "heart of services across the UK".
UK Youth has produced a series of guides on a range of issues, which involved the input of more than 300 young people. Bateman said the booklets showed that young people could make a valuable contribution when given the opportunity.
But Sam Thomas, member of the UK Youth Parliament for Staffordshire, said during a breakout session that generally, young people's ideas were overlooked or ignored. "Lots of organisations invite young people to come and have their say, but it rarely makes any difference," he said. "They never seem to act on the advice, which annoys teenagers who give their time."
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