Power of Youth Day 2024 – #bethatperson

The chief executive of UK Youth has shared the adult who was “that person” for her, to mark Power of Youth Day.

Power of Youth Day is the #iwill movement‘s annual celebration of all the positive contributions young people make to their communities. Celebrated on the second day of Volunteers’ Week, the day revolves around encouraging professionals and businesses to sign the Power of Youth Charter, a collaborative initiative recognising the ability of young people to lead positive change.

This year for Power of Youth Day, on June 4, #iwill is also asking for a commitment “to #bethatperson you had or needed when you were young”.

Ndidi Okezie OBE, UK Youth chief executive officer,  said: “When I think about my experience, I go back to my youth pastors at the time, who were an incredible source of guidance to me.

“One person who stands out was Charlotte. There were no adults in my life that didn’t come with a specific agenda, but Charlotte just cared about what was going on for me at the time.

“Having an adult so razor-focused on what was going on for you, what do you need at this moment, there’s something incredibly powerful about that.

“That’s the thing about youth work, it’s having that trusted adult helping you discover who you are and how to navigate life. Charlotte didn’t pretend she could solve all my challenges, but she helped me realise I had the skills, or could go and get the skills.

“Every young person should have that adult in their life, who is just about what they need in that time.”

Urging society to embrace young people, Ndidi said: “Take the opportunity to think about the incredible young people in your world. Think about what’s going in their life. Young people are not a problem, not an issue to be solved, there is so much good that is happening. Sometimes, we need to just open our eyes and see the majority of young people are just taking no prisoners in this journey called life.”

UK Youth is a leading charity with a vision that all young people are equipped to thrive and empowered to contribute at every stage of their lives. With an open network of more than 8,000 youth organisations and nation partners; UK Youth reaches more than four million young people across the UK and is focused on unlocking youth work as the catalyst of change that is needed now more than ever. To find out more, visit ukyouth.org 

UK Youth is involved in a range of programmes designed to help young people thrive, such as outdoor learning, physical literacy, social action and employability, including Hatch, a youth employability programme run in partnership with KFC. For more on UK Youth’s programmes, see ukyouth.org/what-we-do/programmes

#iwill is a movement comprised of more than 1,000 organisations and 700 young #iwill Ambassadors & Champions from across the UK. They are united by a shared belief that all children and young people should be supported and empowered to make a positive difference on the issues that affect their livers, their communities, and broader society.

#iwill is empowering, challenging, independent, collaborative and inclusive – it belongs to everybody.

The #iwill movement is powered by young people and organisations. The #iwill Ambassadors and #iwill Champions, alongside organisations who sign up to the Power of Youth Charter, help ensure meaningful action is taken to support more children and young people to be active citizens.

The #iwill Partnership is made up of leaders of collective action groups working within and across sectors and nations of the UK to guide the #iwill movement. The independent #iwill Coordination Hub, hosted by Volunteering Matters and UK Youth supports the #iwill Partnership, #iwill Ambassadors and broader #iwill movement.