Are you aged 11-25? Do you live, work, study or attend a youth organisation in Westminster? Or do you work with a group of young people in Westminster?

Young people, parents, YWF Members and Partners are invited to join us at the University of Westminster in October Half Term where local young people will have their chance to question a panel of local decision makers, including Cllr Tim Roca and Youth MP James James Balloqui, the issues that matter most to them.

This will be an opportunity for young people to ask questions about issues such as knife crime, mental health, housing, the climate emergency and job opportunities in Westminster. As well as meet new people, network with local employers and youth workers and find out more about education, training and employment opportunities on offer locally including the University of Westminster.

The event will also be a chance to hear from the Young Westminster Researchers and research agency Rocket Science, who have spent the past 10 months listening to young people from Pimlico to Queen's Park around how it feels to grow up in Westminster in 2023. They'll be launching the findings from their research and calling on the YWF community to take action around themes including:

Cost of living
Education, training and employment
Health and wellbeing
Youth social action
Environment
Transport
Crime and safety
The internet and social media

We'd love for as many young people as possible to join us from across the borough for this live youth voice in action event!If you are a youth worker or teacher in Westminster and want to bring along a group of young people, get in touch with matira@youngwestminster.com so we can reserve a space for your group.

Light refreshments will be provided.

ABOUT YOUNG WESTMINSTER FOUNDATION

Young Westminster Foundation brings together youth organisations, young people, businesses, Westminster City Council, government, schools, funders and the wider community to create opportunities for Westminster’s young people. We’re part of a growing network of Young People’s Foundations (YPFs) established nationally by John Lyon’s Charity.

The Young Westminster Foundation community believes that youth voice should be at the centre of our decision making. Our goal is to identify and address the challenges faced by young Londoners today, all the while ensuring that young people are truly at the heart of conversations and action.

Established in 2016, our first piece of work was to conduct a peer-led needs analysis, examining the experiences of young people growing up in the City of Westminster. That report, A City Within A City, was updated in the 2020 iteration Our City Our Future which helped to shape the Foundation’s direction and priorities in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

YWF is committed to undertaking a refresh of the needs analysis every three years. During 2023, the Foundation has again worked with Rocket Science and local peer researches to conduct an in-depth assessment of young people’s needs in Westminster. This was the first opportunity to understand the diverse experiences of young people in the City’s communities recovering from the pandemic, but now impacted also by the rising cost-of-living.

Young Westminster Question Time