Young people lay down challenge to city’s leaders
Young people from across Birmingham sought to put pressure on the city’s leaders about the needs and requirements of their generation at a Town Hall summit.
The Brum Youth Trends project has raised the profile of issues facing the young and disconnected in Birmingham and challenged politicians and decision-makers to give greater weight to the wishes of Generation Z.
Sir Nicholas Serota, chair of Arts Council England, said: “This report is a provocation to the people that run Birmingham and this country to respond to what young people are looking for.”
The summit was part of the launch of this year’s Brum Youth Trends report, Who Runs Brum?. The report focused on health, transport, relationships, culture, and the future of the region, examining young people’s involvement and needs from each area.
It was the second year of the Brum Youth Trends report, after a successful pilot in 2017.
CBBC presenter Talisha “Tee Cee” Johnson told the audience of 400 young people and policymakers that “young people are not hard to reach, they are just easy to miss”.
She said: “The Brum Youth Trends report is an excellent example of giving young people a space, a platform and a voice to become changemakers in their city.
Andy Street
The speakers included West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, deputy leader of Birmingham City Council Brigid Jones and West Midlands Combined Authority chief executive Deborah Cadman, as well as entrepreneurs and youth activists.
Anisa Haghdadi, founder of the Beatfreeks Collective, which has led the project, said: “We are so proud to finally hold the report in our hands, and to have been able to hear the voice of Young Brum. To have so many influential people in one room talking about the problems directly raised by the young people of Birmingham, and more importantly listening to the responses Young Brum has given, is truly ground-breaking.
“For us, this project hasn’t just been a fascinating insight into the way the young people we interact with think and feel; we need it to be the start of a call to action to start truly listening to them and taking their opinions seriously.”
