Labour Conference 2022: Five key youth sector conversations

The conference, held in Liverpool this week, featured a Youth Zone during the first daywith panels led by youth work organisations such as National Youth Agency (NYA) and Barnardo's, Labour MPs, and young advocates from groups such as Girlguiding and British Youth Council.

These panels initiated discussions with MPs around some of the most pressing issues currently facing the sector:

Mental wellbeing

During a panel about mental health, Girlguiding advocate Abbie said the pandemic has taken a toll on young people’s mental wellbeing, citing their 2021 #GirlsAttitudes report. Their survey found that 67 per cent of girls felt more sad, anxious or worried as a result of the pandemic, with the number rising to 78 per cent among 17-21-year olds.

Great for our advocates to speak with MPs including @KateGreenSU and @lisanandy about the impact of the pandemic on the wellbeing and opportunities of girls and young women and the role of guiding in levelling up #YZ22 #Lab22 pic.twitter.com/dcXwYopCmD

— Girlguiding (@Girlguiding) September 25, 2022

Kate Green, MP for Stretford and Urmston and former shadow minister for education, was on the panel, and tweeted, highlighting the importance of politicians supporting young people, to improve mental wellbeing:

Great for our advocates to speak with MPs including @KateGreenSU and @lisanandy about the impact of the pandemic on the wellbeing and opportunities of girls and young women and the role of guiding in levelling up #YZ22 #Lab22 pic.twitter.com/dcXwYopCmD

— Girlguiding (@Girlguiding) September 25, 2022

Online safety

Since the announcement of the government’s Online Safety Bill earlier this year, children and young people’s safety online has been a recurring conversation topic within the sector.

The bill introduces new rules for social media companies to remove illegal content, and protect children from accessing harmful but legal content. However, the bill has received scrutiny from MPs, charities, and organisations which work with vulnerable young people, who said it does not go far enough to protect children.

At the Youth Zone session, staff from Barnardo's discussed the importance of the bill and how it can help keep children safe online, at a panel about taming the web, led by chief executive Lynn Perry.

We've been at the Labour Party Conference today doing this 👇

📢 Putting young people front and centre.
🗣️Amplifying the voices of young people we support.
✅Talking about key issues like the Online Safety Bill and Tackling Inequalities for Children and Young People. #LPC22 pic.twitter.com/Lpbt2PlCnG

— Barnardo’s (@barnardos) September 26, 2022

Climate emergency

Labour MP for Brent North Barry Gardiner, and chief executive of Wildlife Trusts Craig Bennett were among panellists discussing the ongoing climate crisis, fielding questions from young people regarding plans to address the crisis.

Young people have been at the forefront of the climate action movement for some time, and the climate crisis has prompted many organisations and youth work providers to explore ways to make their practice more economically sustainable.

Gardiner responded to the panel’s attendees, urging young people to “get angry” about the climate crisis.

“Let’s get angry” — @BarryGardiner’s key message to young people about the climate crisis. #LabConf22 #yz22 pic.twitter.com/euTqQGHmcc

— British Youth Council (@bycLIVE) September 25, 2022

Housing crisis

The increasing cost-of-living has taken a toll on the housing market, and attendees raised concerns about the detrimental effects of housing pressures on young people and their families, such as rising youth homelessness.

Lisa Nandy, Labour MP for Wigan and shadow secretary of state for levelling up, housing, and communities, responded to queries around Labour’s approach to housing, saying that housing ought to be treated as a “fundamental human right”.

‘Housing isn’t a market, it’s a fundamental human right’. @lisanandy explains a @UKLabour vision for redressing the housing pressures faced by young people trying to build their future #YZ22 pic.twitter.com/5hZfbc9WUp

— Abbee McLatchie (@abbee_NYA) September 25, 2022

Votes at 16

The Youth Zone also featured a discussion on lowering the voting age to 16, with a panel headed by Vicky Foxcroft, Labour MP for Lewisham and Deptford and shadow minister for disabled people alongside Samara Barnes, Labour Councillor for Hareholme, and representatives from the British Youth Council, UK Youth Parliament, and Votes at 16 campaign.

Panellists discussed the importance of youth participation in politics, and how lowering the the voting age could put young voices at the forefront of decision-making.

“I’m really passionate about votes at 16” @lisanandy talks about making sure young people are heard properly and how #votesat16 can be a driving factor in that. #LabConf22 #YZ22 #youthvoice pic.twitter.com/PYOaE3b4ZK

— Votes at 16 Campaign (@votesat16) September 25, 2022