At The Running Charity (TRC) we like to take every opportunity we can to put homelessness on the agenda. All too often the young people working with us feel excluded from society, prevented from expressing themselves and struggle to get their opinions heard.
Following the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQ’s) were opened up to public questions for the first time in their history- and we knew TRC needed to be a part of it, so we asked the young people the simple question “What do you want to ask David Cameron?”.
Below, you can read some of the replies and the four questions that I then submitted on their behalf and see for yourself what young people who have been affected by homelessness think are the pressing issues that need to be addressed:
“Why is no one helping people get homes, the streets are full with homeless people?” (Aris, 21)
“When will David Cameron stop letting prison services be taken over by private companies who turn them into profit making businesses?” (Anna, 21)
“I’d like to know the future of the NHS! If privatisation is going to happen, and it is, what would be the long term cost to the public overall?” (Albert, 23)
“What is the government’s policy on homeless people for 16-25 as the current system is not working?” (Kelvin, 20)
Giving young people a voice is too important to merely dismiss with token gestures though, it is about genuine inclusion within the structures of which they are members, and pursuing greater autonomy over the forces that shape their lives. We make sure that the young people are at the heart of the work we do by including their input at every level of decision making throughout our organisation. We have in place a ‘member advisory panel’ (MAP) where members are able to feedback on their experiences in the programme and help feed into its future direction. The chair of MAP also sits on our board of Trustees. By TRC incorporating our young people in this way we allow for a complete chain of input from the user all the way to the strategic management.
Young people are too readily described as apathetic and disinterested in the world around them but TRC knows that this is simply not the case. We are all part of the same society and it is important for everyone to be listened to and for others to see value in our opinions. Being heard is an important process in empowering those who regularly feel powerless. TRC always tries to give young people a platform to have their voice heard and puts listening as a priority over dictating what it is that they think and care about.
Lucy Richards
@lucywithlaces