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Group of young people from the VRU's Young People's Action Group

Young People's Action Group (YPAG)

The Young People’s Action Group (YPAG) are a key part of London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU). They ensure the voices, opinions and ideas of young people are heard and used to influence policy, partnerships and funding decisions. The aim of the YPAG is to amplify the voices of young Londoners, whilst supporting them to lead change.  

The YPAG is a diverse group of young people aged 16-24 from across London with lived experience of exploitation, school exclusion, violence or who are passionate about youth issues related to violence prevention and early intervention.

What does the YPAG do

The VRU structure the YPAG’s work around supporting them to lead change through social action in areas that they are passionate about.

The current programme is focused on the following thematic priorities:  

  1. Promoting inclusive practices and learning environments, in education, that is available for all.

  2. Tackling online harms experienced by children and young people.

  3. Increasing positive opportunities and developing effective pathways for young people into employment, training and further education.

  4. Advocating and amplifying the voices and experiences of young women and girls.

The group also gets involved with a range of activities, including co-developing the VRU’s strategy, co-designing interventions and programmes to tackle violence, influencing systems and organisations and championing youth-led participation.

The YPAG play a crucial role in scrutinising the work of the VRU and its partners to ensure investments and policies are delivered with maximum impact for young people, families and communities.

Achievements

The YPAG has been recognised for its work by Skills Builder who has awarded an Impact Level 4 for its commitment to developing essential skills.

Skills Builder helps the YPAG develop eight essential skills, including communication and leadership; through workshops, events, and projects. YPAG members track their progress and reflect on how they’re developing. They are encouraged to use the skills in a range of contexts.

What has the team been involved in

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The YPAG worked in partnership with Google UK to deliver an event for over 60 young Londoners. The event included workshops on building a brand, how to use social media effectively and how to navigate a career in tech. 

Alongside this, the YPAG has been involved in the following:

YPAG attended the London Poverty Summit and used its expertise to share knowledge and experiences regarding the causes, consequences and solutions about young people affected by poverty in London. Particularly the impact on their educational attainment and aspirations.

YPAG co-designed and developed London's Inclusion Charter to effectively support young people by tackling rising suspensions, exclusions and persistent absenteeism through a set of four guiding principles around inclusion.

YPAG worked with Shakespeare’s Globe on its 18th year production to embed the voice of young Londoners into the production of Playing Shakespeare with Deutsche Bank: ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

YPAG provided consultation and clear directions to the directors and actors on how to sensitively demonstrate violence without glamorising or promoting it. 

This included the creation of an educational resources highlighting key areas in the play to encourage discussion and reflection on what the characters could have done differently to prevent violence by making better choices and utilising positive opportunities.

We wanted to equip young people working with the VRU to think big and brave and bridge the gaps between young people, services and experts.
Jerome Harvey-Agyei, Senior Children and Youth Participation Officer

Current members of the YPAG

The VRU recruited 13 young people to the YPAG this year to join cohort five:

  • Fiona, 17, Haringey 

  • Jason, 15 Haringey 

  • Kulsuma, 16, Barking and Dagenham 

  • Lily, 16 Hillingdon 

  • Maryam, 18, Redbridge 

  • Memphis, 22, Croydon 

  • Myrelle, 19, Redbridge 

  • Raffaele, 18, Barnet 

  • Samira-Caterina, 23, Brent 

  • Tafari, 19, Lambeth 

  • Tayrese, 21, Harrow 

  • Wendy-Teresa, 23 Bexley 

  • Zakariya, 20, Islington 

They are joined by 12 other members from last year’s cohort, who move to the second year of the programme to further their work and support the new group:

  • Angel, 19, Islington

  • Clara, 19, Barnet

  • J, 23, Waltham Forest 

  • Kulsum, 19, Redbridge 

  • Mateusz, 19, Barking and Dagenham 

  • Olivia, 22, Haringey 

  • Princess, 19, Barking and Dagenham 

  • Razanne, 19, Haringey 

  • Rihana, 17, Enfield 

  • Safa, 20, Redbridge 

  • Yasmin, 18, Newham 

  • Zubin, 17, Barking and Dagenham

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