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Young People’s Voice

Inspiring marginalised young people through volunteering

Keywords: Education, Cohesion, Young People, Empowerment, South East

Overview

The Young People’s Voice forum at Brighton’s Allsorts youth project encourages young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or unsure of their sexuality or gender identity (LGBTU) to participate in decision making, learn new skills and make a difference to their local community.

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Allsorts supports LGBTU young people under the age of 26 in Brighton and Hove. Young People’s Voice (YPV) started out as a forum for members of Allsorts to plan activities and to represent their views to the staff team and management committee, as well as the wider community.

The YPV forum members have organised a number of confidence-building and empowering events, including a conference and prom party for LGBTU young people across the south of England. Members also took part in Brighton Pride 2007, designing and creating a float and costumes in partnership with other local community organisations.

Members of YPV volunteer as peer educators, raising awareness of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia by delivering workshops in local schools, colleges and youth groups and participating in local and national conferences. The peer educators have also advised the Brighton & Hove Healthy Schools team on how to make sex and relationship education more inclusive for LGBTU young people.

The group’s volunteering programme, which is designed by the LGBTU young people themselves, gives participants a valuable opportunity to develop new skills at the same time as tackling important social issues.

Summary

YPV created 222 volunteering opportunities for LGBTU young people in 2007
YPV volunteers receive one to-one and group support
Six young people have trained as peer educators
The Allsorts management committee includes four young representatives

» Background

Background

Supporting vulnerable young people

Young people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or unsure of their sexuality or gender identity (LGBTU) can encounter homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and other forms of discrimination at school, college, in the street and even at home. Feeling isolated and living in fear can lead to self-harm, suicide and damaging behaviour including unsafe sex, alcohol and drug misuse.

Allsorts youth project was set up in 1999 to provide support and crisis intervention to LGBTU young people in the Brighton and Hove area. The project has received funding from organisations such as Comic Relief, Children in Need and Connexions, as well as the city council and local primary care trust. More than 1,000 young people have accessed Allsorts’ services. Joining the Young People’s Voice (YPV) forum gives LGBTU young people a chance to shape the services that Allsorts provides.

Developing a volunteering programme

With funding from Volunteering England, Allsorts developed the YPV forum to include a volunteering programme for LGBTU young people. In April 2008, YPV was awarded funding from vinvolved, the national youth volunteering programme for England, to develop further this aspect of YPV. The homophobia, biphobia and transphobia awareness peer education scheme will continue to be a key part of the volunteering programme and there’ll also be new opportunities for LGBTU young people to contribute to the development of an LGBTU youth strategy for Brighton and Hove.

» The Project

Overview «

The Project

Young People’s Voice (YPV) is an award-winning volunteering programme for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and unsure (LGBTU) young people aged 16 to 25 and living in Brighton, Hove and the surrounding area. It is funded by vinvolved, the national youth volunteering programme, and the Big Lottery Fund, and is based at Allsorts Youth Project, the LGBTU youth project for Brighton and Hove.

YPV is run by and for LGBTU young people and enables LGBTU young people to have a voice in the local and wider community. YPV volunteers are passionate about reducing homophobia, biphobia and transphobia and generally making the community a safer place for LGBTU youth. They also aim to provide more fun and interesting activities and events for LGBTU young people in Brighton and Hove.

The main volunteering opportunities at YPV are as follows:

•YPV Steering Group Representatives: Help develop the various YPV volunteering opportunities and promote them to other LGBTU young people. Reps attend regular team meetings and carry out monitoring and evaluation of the project.
•LGBTU Youth Events and Activities Co-ordinators: Help to organise and develop events and activities for LGBTU young people e.g. Youth Prom, Talent Shows/Volunteers Awards Ceremonies and also taking part in the annual Brighton Pride Parade.
•LGBTU Youth Peer Educators: Design and deliver anti-homophobia, bi-phobia and transphobia workshops to young people in schools, colleges and youth projects. Also help develop a range of awareness resources for teachers and youth workers to use in class youth settings.
•LGBT Youth Strategy Action Group Volunteers: Working with Spectrum, the LGBTU Youth Strategy for Brighton and Hove, to make sure local services meet the needs of LGBT young people.
•Allsorts Young People Representatives: Sit on the Allsorts Management Committee and represent young people’s views on the committee.

» The Impact

Background «

The Impact

Raising aspirations

The young people who take part in YPV develop valuable skills such as team working, communication, fundraising, events management and project management. Participating in the group’s activities helps to raise personal aspirations, inspiring young people to contribute to the local community and pursue new opportunities in education, training and employment.

Simon joined Allsorts in 2005 and was one of the young people who helped to set up YPV. He is a trained peer educator and visits local colleges and youth projects to deliver homophobia awareness workshops. He was also invited by the Brighton & Hove Healthy Schools Team to give a speech on tackling homophobic bullying at an anti-bullying conference. “Young People’s Voice has given me the platform to get my voice, views and experiences heard, as well as giving me the support I need,” explains Simon.

Community participation

YPV created more than 200 volunteering opportunities for LGBTU young people in 2007 and the volunteering programme is having a significant impact on the community. The homophobia awareness peer education scheme, for example, has given local young people an insight into the problems that LGBTU young people face and is helping to promote social cohesion in schools, colleges and the wider community.

Two members of YPV have gone on to join the Brighton & Hove Youth Council and one has become a member of the National Youth Council. As a result of lobbying by YPV members, the Government’s Youth Matters strategy was amended to reflect the needs of LGBTU young people.

» Good Practice

The Project «

Good Practice

The young people who volunteer through YPV are often vulnerable and sometimes need to take time out from volunteering. YPV has built flexibility into its volunteering programme and participants receive a tailored programme of support, through a combination of one-to-one sessions and group meetings. This ensures that participants feel well equipped to cope with the challenges that voluntary work entails, as well as any personal stress they are experiencing.
Volunteering opportunities such as the peer education scheme are developed by the young people themselves. This means that all of the voluntary work they get involved in is designed to tackle the issues that concern them the most and that they are most passionate about.
Peer educators and other YPV volunteers complete an induction training programme. An external training provider works with new peer educators to develop their skills in areas including public speaking and running effective workshops.

The YPV team works closely with local organisations, including the Brighton & Hove Healthy Schools Team and Spectrum LGBT Community Forum, helping them to understand and respond to the issues affecting LGBTU young people.
Allsorts hold an annual LGBTU Young Volunteers awards ceremony to recognise and celebrate the achievements of their volunteers. Several of the volunteers are also working towards the nationally-recognised v50 Award which is run by vinvolved.

» Reference

The Impact «