Magic Breakfast appoints young food poverty campaigners
Joe Lepper
Thursday, July 22, 2021
A group of young people have been appointed by Magic Breakfast to campaign and lobby politicians on food poverty issues.
The charity, which has been co-delivering the government’s school breakfast programme with Family Action for the last three years, has announced that 10 youth campaigners have been appointed and will be “central to the charity’s campaign work to ensure no child is too hungry to learn in the UK”.
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All are aged between 15 and 21 years old and half have experience of food insecurity and poverty.
Magic Breakfast’s contract with Family Action to deliver the National School Breakfast Programme (NSBP) ends at the end of July.
The charity did not bid for the new contract in England, which will be delivered from the start of the next school year by Family Action.
Among the first actions of Magic Breakfast’s youth campaigners has been to lobby politicians on the details of the new school breakfasts contract.
They delivered a letter to MPs this week detailing their concerns that the tender for the new contract did “not once mention the word ‘hunger’”, says the charity.
“Without a clearly stated hunger-focus”, said Magic Breakfast, there are concerns that “new funding will not reach all children at risk of hunger in the 2,500 schools due to be recruited to the new programme, leaving pupils unable to focus in their morning lessons and in danger of falling behind academically”.
We are excited to announce our group of Youth Campaigners who will be campaigning to realise our vision of #NoChildTooHungryToLearn.
— Magic Breakfast (@magic_breakfast) July 22, 2021
They’ve begun by asking MPs to meet with them, so that youth and lived experience voices are included in the fight to end child morning hunger. pic.twitter.com/Eca6N6wiyx
Youth campaigner Nadia, 17, said: “I am passionate about ensuring no child is too hungry to learn so they are all offered equal opportunities and no one has an unfair advantage over anyone else.
"I believe every child should have the tools necessary to complete their education to the best of their ability."
Another campaigner, 21-year-old Finlay, said: “The fact that any child in this country goes without a healthy breakfast before school deeply upsets me and should never happen anywhere, let alone in the fifth biggest economy in the world.”
Magic Breakfast’s policy and campaigns head Alysa Remtulla added: “I am thrilled that these ten creative, outspoken and diverse young people are joining Magic Breakfast as youth campaigners.
“Their ideas and impressive skills will ensure that Magic Breakfast’s advocacy campaigns are stronger, more effective and youth led.
"Some of our youth campaigners have lived experiences of poverty and food insecurity and a few attend schools supported by Magic Breakfast.
"Their unique perspectives will enable Magic Breakfast to better understand the communities we work with and move towards being led by the young people we aim to serve.”
The National Food Strategy review this week called for an extension to the eligibility for free school meals to reach more children facing food insecurity. This includes raising the income threshold, including children who have no recourse to public funds, such as asylum seekers, and enrolling children automatically.
