Based on the principles and practice of Hear by Right, the Challenge and Lead tool was developed by young people and youth workers.
Groups of young people from a variety of settings have been campaigning against poor service, with the aim of effecting change and doing something about it. Using the Challenge and Lead framework, they have shaped their campaigns and sustained initial energy and enthusiasm so that real and significant changes take place.
Young people involved in Challenge and Lead campaigns are also able to gain national accreditation for leading change and making a difference. Through this project, the National Youth Agency, with the Youth Leadership Team and Youth of Today, piloted National Open College Network units and Challenge and Lead campaigners can achieve up to Level Three through their activities.
The case studies in this special focus provide a snapshot of all the great work being undertaken by young people who are challenging issues and leading change to make a significant impact in their communities.
Further case studies can be found at www.globaloptimists.org/stories.
Why not create your own Challenge and Lead story by helping young people to lead a campaign in your local area? The resource can be downloaded for free at www.nya.org.uk/challenge-and-lead or for further details on how to gain accreditation contact Maxine Green on: maxineg@nya.org.uk.
CASE STUDY ONE: LANCASHIRE YOUTH COUNCIL TRANSPORT CAMPAIGN
The issue
Young people identified a number of issues with the bus services in Lancashire and particularly rural areas and raised concerns about:
- High fares for young people aged 16 to 18
- The attitudes of bus drivers towards young people, which they felt were negative and sometimes aggressive
- Cleanliness and quality of buses
- Lack of services in rural areas
- Inadequate bus information at bus stops
What they did about it
The young people put together a questionnaire to find out what the main issues were for young people around bus travel. The issue that kept coming up was the expense for young people aged 16 and above to travel even a short distance. The young people put together a proposal from their findings of how they felt the issue of expensive travel could be resolved. They took this proposal to Sir Al Aynsley-Green, the then commissioner for children and young people, and the then MP Michael Jack to gain their support. Once the young people had gained the support of two influential decision makers they set up meetings with the marketing director for Stagecoach North West and the person responsible for transport in Lancashire County Council, to give them their proposal and to see what help they could offer.
The challenges
The young people faced many challenges during the time of their project, but with help and support of their peers and Lancashire Young People's service they managed to overcome them. These included:
- Initial lack of commitment from some of the group
- Lack of response and support from bus companies
- Fear of not being taken seriously
- Not knowing who to contact within the bus companies and not being given the correct information
What has changed?
The young people have secured a travel discount scheme with Stagecoach North West for young people called the Pocket Rider. This scheme enables young people aged 16 to 18 to get a child's fare ticket after 9am during the week and any time at the weekend on Stagecoach services.
This has enabled more young people to use the bus for social activities and getting to and from their employment. University of Central Lancashire research interns devised and distributed a questionnaire to find out how successful the scheme has been so far.
What next?
The young people, with the support of Lancashire Young People's Service and Lancashire County Councillor Tim Ashton, have put together a proposal to put to the other bus companies in Lancashire with a view to them taking up the Pocket Rider scheme.
The young people have also set up a meeting with the safer travel unit to discuss the safety and cleanliness of buses in Lancashire and how this issue could be resolved.
CASE STUDY TWO: YOUNG VOICE OF HYDE
The issue
The idea was originally born out of a Bangladeshi women's coffee morning at Hyde Community Action. Mothers, grandmothers and aunties expressed their concern that there was nothing for girls to do in the area that is both culturally sensitive and accessible. This resulted in an application being submitted and awarded from the NHS Health is 4 Life Fund to carry out a participatory research project with and about the young women living in the centre of Hyde.
Simultaneously, there were increasing concerns over racial tension among young men in the community and a multi-agency group was set up by Tameside Borough Council's Community Cohesion Partnership to consider longand short-term intervention (Hyde Intervention Group). What began as a small-scale piece of research into Bangladeshi young women was now to cover all young people in central Hyde with the added role of promoting and instigating cross-cultural dialogue.
It was then that Young Voice of Hyde was started as a peer research project in 2009. Initially, it was a group of eight young people - three males and five females - who all lived in Hyde. They wanted to get involved so that they could make a difference for themselves and other young people in Hyde. They believed they had the right to have a say in things that affect them. The main areas of research were young people's opinions of Hyde, safety, free time and facilities, and advice facilities.
What they did about it
The group created a questionnaire and asked more than 200 young people questions based around the chosen areas. From the findings of the questionnaire the group also produced a report and a short film, which they shared with the community and at strategic meetings, campaigning for positive change for young people in Hyde. The group also organised two events for the young people of Hyde involving dance, singing, and had up to 400 young people and adults that attended.
The challenges
When recruitment took place it was a challenge to make sure that the group contained a range of backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures. Adapting any events or meetings that involved adults to make sure that it was young person-friendly was an issue. Making sure that the project and the young people had as much youth-led participation without too much influence from adults when it came to any decision making was also a challenge.
What has changed?
The research identified that young people wanted a multi-use pitch, the Millennium Green Park, tidied up as well as more facilities for young women. The Millennium Green Park has secured funding to have an artificial turf pitch installed. There are also various girls-only Sunday sessions currently running as well as other provision for young people. Young people are now helped more to voice their opinions and have a say as to what goes on in their area.
A new group has created a short film that highlights the work they have done previously and the project they are involved in at the moment to promote what they are about and what will be happening.
CASE STUDY THREE: THE DOSH POSSE - NORTH TYNESIDE
What is the Dosh Posse?
Dosh Posse was established in 2006 and is now a vibrant, extremely well-motivated and engaged group that feels very positive about its role in the local community.
In August 2009, a successful residential training course took place at Hawkhirst Outdoor Centre at Keilder Water. A successful recruitment campaign meant that 15 members, including seven who had never previously been involved in participation and engagement activities, joined the existing group. The group has now almost doubled in size from 16 to 31 and enquiries are regularly received from other young people asking to join.
What does it do?
Dosh Posse provides funding to a number of community projects. Recent examples include the opening of an eco-garden at a local school, a presentation by a young women's group that received funding for team and confidence building activities and the development of an indoor skateboard ramp.
Two members of the Dosh Posse have been involved with the NE-Generation Young People's Panel, co-ordinated through the North East Regional Youth Work Unit. They have been responsible for allocating around £1.5m of funding to projects in the North East.
Eleven members of the Dosh Posse went to Leeds in June 2009 to act as part of the decision making panel for the allocation of the Children's Workforce Development Council's Participation Fund. Along with a group from Wolverhampton, they decided which projects would receive funds from a £300,000 pot. They attended a high-profile event in London in June 2010 where they viewed presentations about the Participation Fund projects and evaluated the funding as a whole.
Since November 2009, five young people from the Dosh Posse have been involved in a major project with the Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC) to develop a National Youth Advisory Group. This has involved them in a lot of research to establish the right sort of group. They have attended many meetings, some of them residential, and met with the chairman, chief executive and board members of the CWDC to ensure they are influencing policy and decision making at the highest level. One of the group, Thomas Sample, was chosen as one of only four young people nationally to attend a board meeting of the CWDC.
During 2010 the Dosh Posse worked closely with Keyfund and now has a very strong working relationship with them. Over half the group, 17 members, have been trained as Keyfund panel members and have sat on many panels. They also act as advisers to other young people wishing to apply for funding. During 2011 the rest of the group will be trained as panel members. The Keyfund chief executive has described their work as "brilliant".
So the Dosh Posse has made a name for itself locally, regionally and nationally.
