Cross-sector collaboration and advocacy at Conservative Party conference 

UK Youth attended the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, the party’s first since losing the General Election in the summer.

Our aim was to put young people’s voices front and centre of the party’s work in opposition and advocate for the importance of youth services, writes Kate Roberts, UK Youth policy and influencing manager, who attending the conference.

The conference was focused on the current party leadership contest, but we found time for engagement with MPs and decision makers outside of this and held some very positive conversations. 

It was great to have #iwill ambassadors Sophia and Beth there on the Monday. They both took the time to meet with MPs, shadow ministers and decision-makers about the issues they care about – highlighting the importance of youth organisations and social action in their communities.  

We held a roundtable event in the Youth Zone on cross-sector support and the importance of businesses in supporting youth work and were delighted to be joined by MPs Stuart Andrew and Mims Davies, as well as Dame Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England, alongside corporate and sector partners, including Ellie Vesey-Thompson, Rosie Bartram, Henri Murison, Jake Tudge, Paris Mia Habib, Leigh Middleton OBE, and Kathy O’Brien. We are really grateful to them all for giving up their time. It was fantastically chaired by Beth, with Sophia sitting on the roundtable to share her perspective. 

It was great to discuss the importance of cross-sector engagement and support for youth work. We spoke about the role of partnerships at a place-based level, the importance of involving youth voice and co-design and how we can align the needs of the sector with the aims of corporate partners. 

There is a clear need for the opposition to organise itself and effectively start holding the new Government to account on key issues and we are hoping the needs of young people can be one of these areas. It was important, alongside other youth organisations as part of the Youth Zone, to make this clear and drive home the messaging about the importance of youth voice and listening to young people. 

Alongside our panel event, and connecting with sector experts and local councillors, we also met with MPs including Gareth Bacon, James Wild and Louie French, shadow minister for culture, media and sport. We shared about the work of UK Youth, what matters most to Sophia and Beth right now and what we need to see from the Conservative Party. Evie, Ella and Chloe shared what they felt were the biggest issues facing young people – everything from mental health and well-being to the importance of listening to young people. 

We are really grateful to all of the MPs who met with us, the attendees of our roundtable event, and everyone who has advocated for young people to be heard. We are looking forward to continuing this work with MPs over the coming months. 

This year, UK Youth has also attended the Liberal Democrats Party conference and Labour’s first Party conference in Government.

UK Youth would like to see the Government prioritise youth work as a solution to the challenges facing young people. We have been 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.