This year our Youth Steering Group hosted our first ever Fair Education Youth Summit, designed and facilitated by young people, for young people.
The Youth Summit brought together 65 young people from 34 organisations, with the aim to ensure that young changemakers are better connected with each other, have the skills to lead the change they want to see and agree their priority calls to action. What was the result? Connection, inspiration and clear calls for change!
Check out the young people’s top policy priorities, the videos and photos from the day, session resources and other ways to get involved further below.
Young People’s Policy Priorities
We are delighted by the feedback from young people sharing their new connections and skills from the day, but the Youth Summit attendees unanimously said it is what we do next is what really matters.
The young people attended thematic workshops to refine their policy ideas, then voted on which they think would make the biggest difference to tackle inequality in education.
This graphic shows their top 5, but scroll down to see the full Top 10.
Young people are demanding change in the education system, and are doing phenomenal work to bring it about, but now we need your help to share the young people’s policy asks.
The Top 10 Policy Asks
Universal Free School Meals and more support for students and families during the cost of living crisis.
Mandatory child rights and anti-racism training for all adults working with children, including teachers and youth workers.
Funding for more joined up early intervention mental health support in communities.
Ofsted to hold schools accountable for the mental health and wellbeing of students and teachers.
Ofsted and the Department for Education to meaningfully engage young people from all backgrounds in decisions that affect them and their education.
More inclusive school behaviour policies which prioritise support and safeguarding and have a greater understanding of the needs of young people facing barriers to their education.
Protection of school staff wellbeing to prevent burnout and teacher turnover.
Reform the national curriculum to ensure all young people can develop essential skills.
Youth Social Action to be part of the national curriculum.
Funding for small group tuition for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and SEND students.
We also know many of these asks align with our Fair Education Manifesto and the existing work happening across our membership, so please do use this content in your own advocacy work and make space for young people in your meetings with decision makers.
Photos and Videos
We were delighted to work with the young people, videographer Fran Freeman and our very own Dan Vogel as photographer to capture content throughout the day.
Check out the full photo gallery here.
If you would like to use the content to share about your experience at the Youth Summit, please don’t forget to use #FairEdYouthSummit and tag @_TheFEA. Unless you are the person featured in the image, please do not use these photos for any other purpose than to illustrate the Fair Education Youth Summit.
Who was in the room? What did they think?
We knew we wanted this Youth Summit to reach as many young people from across our membership as possible, but specifically young people who have faced barriers to a fair education system and those who have never volunteered or taken part in an event like this before. By working with FEA member’s and key sector stakeholders, we were able to make this event as inclusive as possible to ensure in the room and in the policy prioritisation process we heard from young people too often overlooked by the sector and other youth engagement programmes, including:
Young people on Free School Meals and/or eligible for Pupil Premium,
Young carers,
Looked after young people and care leavers,
Young people learning in alternative provision settings or with experience of exclusion,
Young people with special educational needs or disabilities,
Refugee and asylum seeking young people,
Young people with English as an additional language,
and young people who have experienced homelessness.
So what did they think of the event?
We are really proud that 48% of attendees rated the overall event 5 stars, and a further 48% rated it 4 stars. We also had an average rating of 4.38/5 for all of the different workshops throughout the day.
However, even more importantly, the young people thought the event had an impact on them and their ability to lead change:
93% of attendees met someone they want to collaborate with,
94% of attendees learnt something to help them bring about change,
82% of attendees developed skills for youth leadership.
And the impact isn’t just to those in the room with 73% of attendees saying they were going to share what they had learnt with their peers and/or the organisation they represent, 27% reported they are going to take on a new volunteering role or join a campaign, and 25% saying they are going to apply to be a trustee or school governor.
How to Get Involved
If you are a Young Person:
Sign up to the FEA Youth Bulletin, written by our Youth Steering Group for young people, sharing ways to get involved in their campaigning, future Youth Summits and other social action opportunities.
Attend the Youth Steering Group’s upcoming online event on the role of Police in Schools on Monday 11th December, 4:30-6:30pm.
Finally, we are currently recruiting for our Youth Steering Group, so check out the details here and make sure you apply by 11pm on Thursday 11th January.
If you work in the education or youth sector:
Please share the FEA Youth Bulletin and the Youth Steering Group opportunities with the young people you work with.
Attend the Youth Steering Group’s upcoming online event on the role of Police in Schools on Monday 11th December, 4:30-6:30pm.
Email our Head of Youth Engagement, Becca Weighell, on youth@faireducation.org.uk to join one of our Youth Engagement Working Groups or to book a free 1:1 to help take your youth engagement to the next level.
If you have any further questions, or would be interested in supporting this work further, please do not hesitate to email our Head of Youth Engagement, Becca Weighell, on youth@faireducation.org.uk.
