Young people to have their say on cost of living and safety at London Hope Hack

• Mayor invites young people to present ideas and solutions to key societal issues in ‘Voice of Young Londoners’ report
• London’s Violence Reduction Unit stages biggest hack event for more than 250 young people
• Young Londoners also urged to help shape opportunities by joining Young People’s Action Group

Hundreds of young people will today put forward their ideas and solutions to some of London’s biggest challenges in a special ‘Voice of Young Londoners’ report for the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

The London Hope Hack is an event hosted by London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and its Young People’s Action Group (YPAG) to bring young people together and give them a platform to tackle key societal issues such as the cost-of-living crisis, education, mental health and racism.

Held at the London Stadium, more than 250 young people will take part in a series of workshops focused around hope. These workshops will outline the changes young Londoners would like to see to make our city a safer and fairer place to live and grow up in. All participants are aged 14-25 and access programmes funded by the VRU to tackle violence and deliver positive opportunities.

Some of their ideas will be shared directly with the Mayor, who has also asked his VRU to capture the views of young people across the day and produce a Voice of Young Londoners report. Listening to the voice of young people on issues affecting young Londoners is important to the Mayor who will use the report’s findings to help inform his response to the big challenges facing the capital.

Sadiq is dedicated to amplifying the voices of young people and today will also announce that his VRU is welcoming applications for a new cohort to join its agenda-setting Young People’s Action Group. The YPAG is a group of young Londoners with lived experiences of violence, exploitation and school exclusion, that works alongside the VRU to ensure funding, programmes and policies work for and are shaped by young people.   

The Mayor will be joined at the event by Carlton Cole, the former West Ham United, Chelsea and England striker who is now a broadcaster, West Ham United Academy coach and an ambassador for West Ham and its community-focused organisation, the West Ham United Foundation. Cole is also in the process of establishing a new mentoring programme, Be Heard As One, which aims to offer bespoke one-to-one support and mentoring services, that includes door-stop intervention, workshops, and therapy, to children, young people and young adults in Newham. 

The VRU is bringing its network together to facilitate workshops and support young people on the day. Youth workers, members from the VRU’s parents and carers champion network, its community-led programme MyEnds, and the YPAG will be involved in leading the day and working to promote and amplify the voice of young people.

The London Hope Hack – the biggest of its kind in the UK – is supported by the Hope Collective and the National Citizen Service, and follows others across the country, including Greater Manchester, Reading, the Midlands and Glasgow.

Reannah Britto, a member of the VRU’s Young People’s Action Group, said:

“The London Hope Hack gives young people in our communities the platform they might not usually get to put their ideas and solutions forward.

“We have a motto in the YPAG which is: Nothing about us, without us.

“Young people have ideas, views and solutions to the issues and challenges facing us. They need a platform and that’s what we do. We work to ensure young people’s voices are heard and involved in decision-making. It’s fantastic that the Mayor of London has asked us to help capture those views at London Hope Hack to ensure decisions he makes in tackling key issues in our city continue to be informed by the views of young people.” 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

“Your background, social class and skin colour should have no bearing on how safe you feel in your neighbourhood or what you can go on to achieve.

“That’s why I set up London’s Violence Reduction Unit – the first in England and Wales – to support young people in fulfilling their potential and to ensure they have access to thousands of positive opportunities.

“I’m really looking forward to the London Hope Hack and hearing from young people about the challenges they face and the ideas and solutions they propose, because I’m committed to building a safer and fairer London for everyone.”

Lib Peck, Director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, said:

“Listening and working with young people are at the very heart of everything we do as a Violence Reduction Unit.

“The London Hope Hack is an opportunity for young people to help shape how we tackle some of the big issues that affect society, and in some circumstances, disproportionately impact young people.

“Our Young People’s Action Group is leading the way in doing just that in London. I would encourage young Londoners wanting to join them and use their voice to support young people and our communities to apply and help us promote hope through access to positive opportunities.”

West Ham ambassador, Carlton Cole, said:

“It’s great to see a commitment from a range of organisations and services in supporting young people across London. The violence we are seeing effects all of us and so we all need to do our part in helping to improve the situation, particularly for young people, so they don’t feel forced into negative situations. 

“I’m proud to be part of the work West Ham United Foundation are doing locally and also to be working with a team in Newham where we are looking to set up Be Heard As One to provide tailored support for young people. We believe all young people should have the same opportunities to be healthy and happy, no matter where they grow up, and this event is a good building block for the future.”
 

Joseph Lyons, West Ham United Foundation CEO, said:

“We are committed to doing everything we can to harness the power of sport to make a positive difference to individuals, groups and communities and we know that youth voice is at the forefront of that. Issues linked to violence across the local area are multi-faceted and so the way in which we tackle them has to be flexible and comprehensive based on the need. 

“This event is a great platform for young people to share their challenges, concerns and ideas in order to help support decision-makers in creating a safer and fairer London.”

Professor Niven Rennie, Executive Director of the Hope Collective, said: 

“The Hope Hacks are going from strength to strength around the country where Violence Reduction Units and grassroots community organisations create a safe space and a fun environment for young people to discuss their ideas for what a fairer society might look like.

“We all know that a fairer society would lead to a safer society for young people to grow up and thrive in and that’s the goal of the VRU network of course.

“Delighted to see the progress being made in London and excited to visit the London Stadium and be part of what I’m sure will be one of the best Hope Hacks so far.”