‘It was incredible to share my opinions with influential figures’

The new Government has held its first party conference since coming into power – with a trio of #iwill ambassadors in attendance.
UK Youth was delighted to be accompanied by the trio of #iwill ambassadors from Blackpool, Evie, Ella-Lucy and Chloe, at the Labour Party conference, to talk to MPs, ministers and decision-makers about the issues they care about.
Here, #iwill ambassador Chloe Willoughby shares her thoughts on the day.

What was the Labour Party Conference?

The Labour Party Conference was an event that brought together Labour MPs – including key cabinet ministers – alongside other key organisations associated with or supported by Labour such as trade unions. The conference was used to outline the party’s key aims for the year and featured speeches from ministers like Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

What was your role at the Conference?

I was given the opportunity to attend the conference as part of my role as an #iWill Ambassador with UK Youth. The main part of my role at this event was to speak on a panel about the new Labour government’s Young Futures Hubs policy and the impact this will have on young people and youth workers.

I also had the privilege of speaking with many influential MPs and sharing my views with them about what the Labour government can do to help young people. In addition to both of these fantastic opportunities, I was interviewed for a podcast with Walton Youth and Community Project.

What was the highlight of the day?

The entire day was amazing so it is quite difficult to pick one moment that stood out from the rest. Meeting Ed Miliband was certainly something I won’t soon forget. However, the highlight of my day has to be speaking on the Young Futures Hub panel. A few years ago, I would never have dreamed of getting an opportunity such as this and it was incredible to share my lived experience and opinions with influential figures such as the youth minister.

Do you feel like the decision-makers and MPs listened to young people?

I do think they listened to us. Each MP and decision-maker we met with really took the time to hear our ideas and discuss with us in detail the things they could do to help young people, both in their constituencies and in Parliament. I really felt like my voice mattered at the conference and I hope to see MPs continuing their support of young people by not just actively listening to us, but also taking what they have heard and turning that into practical policy that will benefit us.

What would you like to see next from the Government?

I would like the Government to value the information they have found out from young people both at this conference and every time they have interacted with us and use it to shape policy moving forward.

I believe young people over the age of 16 should be granted the right to vote and actively participate in democratic society, with the government implementing curriculum changes such as a Politics GCSE or core political education in PSHE that would enable young people to make informed political choices.

I also believe there should be strong reforms to the education system such as fairer ways of examining students, more support for neurodiverse students/students with SEND and better mental health provision in schools. This would create an all-round healthier learning environment for both teachers and students.

This year, UK Youth has also attended the Liberal Democrats Party conference and will be attending the Conservative party conference this week. Our experience will be shared here.

UK Youth would like to see the Government prioritise youth work as a solution to the challenges facing young people. We are talking to MPs, ministers and shadow ministers about:   

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 lives, 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.