Young people from across the North East have spent the summer leading inspiring community projects that boosted wellbeing, raised aspirations and built stronger local ties.
Their efforts were celebrated this week at Youth Action Unlocked, a special event held at Newcastle’s Tyneside Cinema on 20 November.
More than 100 young people came together to present the projects they designed and delivered through Newcastle-based charity, The Key, as part of #iwill week – the national week that shines a spotlight on youth social action. The audience included local influencers, funders and decision makers who came to hear directly from young people about the impact they have created.
The projects began back in July, when groups from Sunderland, Durham, Gateshead, Middlesbrough and Teesside pitched ideas around issues they wanted to tackle. Since then, their ideas have become real initiatives that have reached schools, neighbourhoods and community spaces across the region.
For many young people involved, the experience has been a turning point. In Durham, a group called Laurel United created mental health support packs for local schools, giving young people access to calming tools, journals and grounding resources. In Middlesbrough, young people designed and set up “therapy corners” in community spaces, providing somewhere safe to go when feeling overwhelmed. One young person who used a corner said:
“It’s really relaxing and anyone who is very stressed can just come here and relax.”
Meanwhile in Sunderland, a team organised a careers event to help local young people explore opportunities, build confidence and raise their aspirations, with further events already underway.
Blake Henderson, 14, and part of the Sunderland in Action! group said:
“To even get everyone involved was something massive to us and it was really great that we were able to do that and put all of this together and we hope we get opportunities like this in the future”
Oliver Harrison, 15, from South Tyneside and part of the Chaos Coordinators group supported by Auxillia Youth Services, hosted a community fun day. Commenting on Youth Action Unlocked, he said:
“It makes us feel happy because we’ve been recognised for helping the community and others.”
Youth Action Unlocked showcased not only the end results of the work, but also the determination, problem solving and teamwork that powered each project. Attendees heard how young people took charge of planning, budgeting and delivery, often stepping into leadership roles for the first time.
Rebecca Maw, CEO of The Key, said:
“The transformation we’ve seen in these young people is extraordinary. They’ve gone from having an idea, to leading real projects that have changed their communities, and changed how they see themselves. The confidence, motivation and belief in what they can achieve is so powerful”.
