On Thursday 14th March - Youth Alliance partner organisations invited some of their young people to attend a focus group at Derby Theatre to discuss topics and themes that matter to them. We hope for this to be an ongoing focus group, with the young people who are involved having the opportunity to direct and steer the group to the projects and campaigns that interest them most.
As a pilot session, we held the group at Derby Theatre and attendees had the opportunity to have a look around the auditorium and attend the 7pm showing of Animal Farm.
Firstly we encouraged the young people in the room to introduce themselves, and as an ice-breaker answer the question, "If you could be an animal, which would you be and why?". We had all different animals and characters around the room ranging from hamsters to pandas, rabbits to dinosaurs!
After a brief presentation about the Youth Alliance - the organisations that are involved, our work, and some of our successful projects - the first topic for engagement, Helen Britten presented the upcoming Child Poverty Summit, and as topics for discussion on the tables were:
What challenges do young people face?
What challenges may young people in poverty face or be more affected by?
What ideas do you have for this group going forward?
After a refreshment break, each of the tables fed back to the rest of the room their thoughts on how the session had gone, their discussions, and their answers to the questions on the tables.
We were so pleased to be able to host this group of young people and hear back from them around what is happening in their worlds and we are so grateful for the young people who gave up their time and attended to make a difference!
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