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EFL Trust Supports Growing And Groundbreaking Youth Voice Programme

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The EFL Trust – along with four EFL Club Community Organisations – are empowering youth voice in several communities via a pioneering programme.

The charitable arm of the EFL is partnering with the Youth Endowment Fund, the #iwill Fund (a joint investment between The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) and the Co-op group to deliver regionally a 12.7million programme called The Peer Action Collective.

Bradford City FC Community Foundation and The Tigers Trust (Hull City AFC’s official charity) will deliver the programme within the Yorkshire and Humber region.

In addition, The Robins Foundation (Bristol City FC’s official charity) and Exeter City Community Trust will deliver PAC in the south west region of England, all giving young people the chance to make their communities safer, fairer places to live.

Dominik Stingas-Paczko, Head of Participation and Community Engagement at the EFL Trust, said: “We’re delighted to be chosen as a regional partner again and support our network of Club Community Organisations in delivering this ground-breaking youth voice programme.

“Over the past two years, more than a thousand young people in Yorkshire were engaged with as part of the Peer Action Collective work, driven by young people at the forefront and Club Community Organisations using the power of the Club badge.

“We’re very much looking forward to being part of the next leg of the Peer Action Collective’s journey  – now supporting Yorkshire and the south west of England – in providing a platform for the vital views of young people to make positive change in their communities.”

Since the launch in 2021, PAC has seen over 6,800 young people across the country taking on the issues affecting their local communities and creating solutions. Over the next five years PAC will impact the lives of over 11,000 young people in England and Wales through peer research and social action.

PAC is a ground-breaking network of Peer Researchers, Social Action Leads and Changemakers.

Young people with lived experience of violence find out what needs to happen to make their area a better place to live and turn it into action.  From influencing school practises, to improving local mental health services, co-producing violence reduction strategies or supporting more young people into employment – together, they are ensuring that young voices respond to issues that directly affect them.

In Yorkshire, young people provided their voice to a wide range of concerns to them, including Peer Researchers spearheading group sessions at Wetherby Young Offenders Institute where they acquired the views of a group of convicted young people as well as providing them with football enrichment.

Youngsters also attended the Houses of Parliament, speaking to MPs, about their experience, the programme and findings from young people, and even met with Bradford City manager Mark Hughes during EFL’s Week of Action where they had asked him press conference-style questions and informed him about the differences made in city.

Helen Goulden OBE, Chief Executive of The Young Foundation added: “The Peer Action Collective’s youth-led approach has already shown huge potential to reduce experiences of violence and shape a fairer future. As we launch into a five-year programme, I am genuinely excited about what might be achieved and the power of younger people to effect the change they want to see in the world around them.”

To find out more about the project, visit the Youth Endowment Fund’s website. To find out more about Co-op’s work with young people, please visit coop.co.uk/gamechangers

The power of youth voice in Yorkshire

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“Listening to their [young people] journey makes me once again realise the power of volunteering and how it can positively impact a community.”

How 18-year-old Shamza Butt views her time volunteering in the Bradford where she, and so many young people in her area, are making a huge difference in their community.

With today (Tuesday 6th June) being Power of Youth Day and the end of Volunteers Week 2023, we want to highlight the great work taking place in Bradford as part of the Peer Action Collective programme.

Bradford City AFC Community Foundation and the Sheffield Wednesday FC Community Programme have been integral in Yorkshire supporting and guiding hundreds of young people to produce research and create social action on youth violence in the city.

As part of the Peer Action Collective project, where the EFL Trust partnered with the Youth Endowment Fund, #iwill Fund and Co-op to deliver a regional programme, Bradford’s team conducted one-to-one interviews and group sessions to understand young people’s views on knife crime in Bradford, and what can be done to make young people feel safer and reduce the number of young people carrying knives.

The young people have worked with Bradford Police and PCSOs to deliver knife-crime awareness workshops in schools, joined Street Angels in providing lifesaving first aid training, and some of the Peer Action Collective are now Independent Police Advisory Group members too.

United by the EFL Trust, Bradford City AFC Community Foundation, alongside the Sheffield Wednesday FC Community Programme, delivered weekly workshops for boys and young men 15-18 who could benefit from extra support and encouragement at HMP Young Offender Institution Wetherby.

Earlier this year, the Foundation joined young people at the Houses of Parliament, where they shared the story of the project with MPs.

In May 2023, Shamza – an integral voice and driver of the project – was chosen as one of the nation’s Coronation Champions.

“Achieving this honourable award in less than six years being in the UK fills me with a sense of pride and accomplishment, and I look forward to continuing with all the volunteering work and doing more for my community as I spend more time getting to know my city,” she said.

“It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be invited to Buckingham Palace for the garden party.

“I had the chance to speak to so many people who are doing great things in their communities, key workers, teachers, mentors and many volunteers.

 

Peter Walker, Project Manager at the EFL Trust added:

“We all roughly know some of the reasons why young people get involved in youth crime and violence, and the impact it has on them and the community. But to see and hear the views, opinions and stories of hundreds of young people about the issues they face is something else.

“It’s great to see that there are young people that want to project this youth voice to help make a change, raise awareness, become positive roles models, and embed themselves into local decision making. Bradford City AFC Community Foundation have been incredible in making this project a success.”