YouthVoice Interview Archives - Young Voices Heard

Mar132023 by James CathcartNo Comments

#YouthVoice Interview – Inaam Barkatoolah (18), campaigner and member of the Youth Policy Dev Group 2021-23

Inaam Barkatoolah, aged 18, from London, is an active campaigner NS advocate on 'human rights and access to justice for all'. She is a champion of youth voice and participation and since 2021, has been an active volunteer member of the Government's Youth Policy Develop Group, a joint youth engagement initiative coordinated by ShoutOutUK which consults young people in England on policy proposals through roundtables. She is currently a Solicitor Apprentice specialising in human rights law. Inaam talks to Young Voices Heard about her #’youthvoice journey, and the experience of working with the YPDG, as it approaches the end of its term in March 2023. You can read more about the work of the YPDG here (more…)

Jun282022 by James Cathcart1 Comment

#YouthVoice Interview – Kyrenia Shipillis (18), member of the Youth Policy Development Group

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Kyrenia Shipillis (18) from Enfield, London is an active campaigner, community volunteer, and champion of youthvoice and influence. She is also a volunteer member of the Youth Policy Development Group (YPDG - 2021/2022) which is a joint Government/ShoutOutUK youth engagement initiative, which consults young people in England on its policy proposals. She is also studying History at the University of Nottingham. Kyrenia talks to Young Voices Heard about her experience of working on the YPDG, her motivation, policy priorities, and shares some tips on how to be get your voice heard. (more…)

Dec162020 by James CathcartNo Comments

#YouthVoiceNow: Interview with Kianna Leader (22), youth advisory group member at The National Lottery Community Fund

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Kianna Leader (22), from Leeds, is a longstanding and passionate champion of #youthvoice and participation. She is currently a volunteer member of the ‘Young People In the Lead’ Advisory Group at the National Lottery Community Fund, and is a member of the Government’s DCMS Youth Voice Steering Group. A graduate from the University of Nottingham she is employed by Getaway Girls, Leeds, as the ‘Vocal Girls Coordinator’ empowering girls and young women to facilitate change in the city. In this interview Kianna talks about her motivation, priorities and hopes for greater youth participation and reveals her new year resolutions! (more…)

Aug132020 by James Cathcart4 Comments

#YouthVoiceNow Interview with Patrick Cantellow BEM (21) youth employment champion and #Point-of-Light winner.

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Patrick Cantellow BEM, aged 21 (at the time of writing), from Kent is a #youthvoice champion and ambassador for careers, apprenticeships and social action. Since this interview Patrick has been honoured in the Queens Platinum Birthday Honours 2022 with a BEM for his volunteering can campaign work for youth employment). At the age of 15 Patrick formed the now completed ‘Swale Young People’ project, which offered a voice to young people and high quality work experience and social action opportunities to young people in Swale, using the network Patrick built with his own volunteering work with the NSPCC, The Children’s Commissioner for England and #iwill. Aged 16, the organisation formed as a C.I.C. and received funding from Comic Relief, DCMS and the local devolved councils. Patrick was awarded the Points…

Jul132020 by James CathcartNo Comments

#YouthVoiceNow: Interview with Gabrielle Mathews, NHS advisor, # iwill ambassador and Diana Award winner

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Gabrielle Mathews aged 22, from Coventry, is a long-term champion of #YouthVoice and has just graduated with her first degree (Intercalated Global Health BSc) and is continuing her studies in Medicine at Imperial College London. She is now the youngest member of the NHS Assembly, one of the first Youth Expert Advisors at NHS England and Improvement, having volunteered for the NHS Youth Forum. She is the former chair of the Young Persons’ Advisory Group at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and in 2018 was selected as a #iwill ambassador for health at Step-Up-To-Serve. Earlier this year, Gabrielle was appointed to the oversight board at the Research and Economic Analysis for the Long term Centre at The Health Foundation. She has also worked as a young technical advisor to the World Health…

Jun222020 by James Cathcart5 Comments

#YouthVoiceNow: Interview with Katrina Lambert BEM (19) #iwill ambassador, trustee at ‘Volunteering Matters’, and member of ‘Youth for Change’

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Katrina Lambert BEM, 19 years old (at the time of writing) and originally from Edinburgh, is an activist campaigning on gender equality, human rights and youth voice. [Since the time of interview Katrina has been recognised in the Queen Platinum Birthday Honours with a BEM for her work including Co Chair of the Back Youth Alliance] She is an #iwill ambassador, a trustee at Volunteering Matters, member of youth-led network Youth For Change and has been recognised by the Prime Minister for her work with a Points of Light award. Katrina has been active in promoting youth voice in Scotland (volunteering with organisations such as Young Scot and ProjectScotland) and is now based in London where she is studying Politics and International Relations at the London School of Economics. Continuing…

Jun102020 by James Cathcart1 Comment

#YouthVoiceNow interview – with Dan Lawes (19) activist, #iwill ambassador and founding CEO of YouthPoliticsUK

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Daniel Lawes is a 19 year-old activist from Manchester, currently studying History and International Relations at the London School of Economics. He is an #iwill ambassador, Diana Award recipient, and in 2016, he founded the non-profit organisation YouthPolitics UK with the aim of engaging young people with the democratic process. He was one of the youngest CEOs in the UK at 17. Continuing our series of interviews with youthvoice champions, 'YoungVoicesHeard' heard about his journey and hopes for the future. We also asked what advice he would give to young people starting out and to older people listening. (more…)

May272020 by James Cathcart1 Comment

#YouthVoiceNow: Interview with Harry Twohig (19) #iwill ambassador, advisor to ‘The Mix’ and member of DCMS Youth Policy Steering Group

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Harry Twohig is a #youthvoice champion and activist, volunteering as for the #iwill campaign as an ambassador, a member of The Mix Youth Advisory Panel, and trustee of youth music charity NYMAZ. In 2019 he joined the DCMS Youth Policy Steering Group which aims to provide advice on Government policy. Originally from Middlesborough, he is now studying History in lockdown at the end of his first year at University. Continuing YoungVoicesHeard series of interviews we give a platform to Harry to talk about his journey, Covid and hopes for the future of youth participation. (more…)

Nov282019 by James CathcartNo Comments

#YouthVoiceNow: Interview with Anna McGovern (18) #iwill Ambassador and Chair of Medway Youth Council

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by James Cathcart, 20th November 2019 Anna is an #iwill Ambassador - one of a group of young activists successfully nominated in recognition of their outstanding volunteering work. She is now a role model and ambassador for the national ‘Step Up To Serve’ campaign - which aims to increase youth ‘social action’ and celebrate the role of young people as active citizens. Anna has campaigned on safeguarding for children/on-line safety and better mental health, with NSPCC and Childline, and has been recognised with awards included the Prime Ministers Point of Light Award for her work. As part of national #iwillweek2019 I met Anna, in her role as Chair when she was hosting the Medway Youth Council’s annual conference on climate change. It was held at Mid Kent College in Chatham…