Recapping the National Young People and Place Conference

On March 28th, we had the pleasure of co-hosting the National Young People and Place conference with the Young People's Trust in Manchester. We were excited to welcome over 150 colleagues and young changemakers from across the UK to share their experiences and engage in thought-provoking discussions throughout the day.

“We thoroughly enjoyed engaging in thought provoking discussions & are hopeful to see collaborative sparks for change come to fruition.” - Young Attendee at #YPPlace23

Justin Watson, CEO of the YPF Trust, kicked off the conference with a warm welcome, encouraging open and honest conversations between attendees.

The conference was structured around breakout dialogue sessions, where attendees had the opportunity to explore a variety of topics in 90-minute sessions themed around young people and place. Dialogues gave the opportunity for funders, youth workers, young people and colleagues across the VCSE sector to tackle challenging topics and share learnings and insights from their own experience.

Mikey, Supporting Nomadic Communities session facilitator, speaking in front of attendees.

Here were the dialogues for the day:

• The role and value of place in social change - facilitated by Jon Hitchin, CEO, Renaisi
• Supporting and Celebrating nomadic communities - when Place doesn't work - facilitated by Sally Carr MBE, NW Director at StreetGames
• Funders as collaborators - facilitated by Jim Cooke, Head of the Funders Collaborative Hub
• Local, Regional, National - what does an integrated infrastructure look like? - facilitated by Youth Work Unit
• Successful and Sustainable Partnerships - facilitated by Charlee Bewsher, Strategy Manager, Youth Work Unit
• Young People Sharing Power & Owning Spaces - facilitated by Young Manchester's Young Ambassadors

For more details of each breakout dialogue, please visit here.

“Nomadic can be considered as a lifestyle but it's ridiculous how these people are seen as criminals who steal and called names like 'thieves' and 'crowded'. Mental health must be a huge issue in these communities. As a society we need to read and learn about issues that matter, ignorance is not an excuse. I also hope this so-called system, especially the education and health industries treat nomadic groups just like they would treat anyone else.” – Supporting and Celebrating Nomadic Communities attendee

Attendees at a table talking to young people with other people behind them in conversation.

“It struck me that whilst youth voice is important in and of itself, it's even more important that we are getting a true representation of all young people, not just those who self select or who have the resources and support to contribute.” – Attendee

During lunch, attendees had the chance to visit Changemaking Avenue, where they learned more about young people making change. Various stalls showcased young people's campaigns, including Young Manchester Ambassadors, the #iwill ambassadors Gracie and Irys, the Streetworthy campaign from Our Streets Now, and the cost of living crisis campaign from the British Youth Council.

Sam and Claire sat on stage with Sam talking towards the audience.

The afternoon consisted of more thought-provoking breakout dialogues, with all attendees returning together for a chat with Sam Remi-Akinwale, our Co-CEO, and Claire Madzura, #iwillambassador.

“There was a desire for more collective action and campaigning to challenge decision makers.” – Attendee

Overall, the National Young People and Place conference was a successful event, and we hope to continue to facilitate similar opportunities for young people to come together and discuss important issues.

Stay tuned on our social media for more photos and videos from the event!

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