What’s it all about?
In the summer of 2021, Movement to Work was commissioned by West Midlands Combined Authority Jobs and Skills Academy to form a Youth Steering Group to oversee the work carried out by the ‘Stand Out’ Project. The ‘Stand Out’ Project is a National Lottery funded programme aimed at providing unique training, volunteering, and employment opportunities to young people across the West Midlands, utilising the backdrop of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
With the help of Participation People, Movement to Work established a Youth Steering Group in September 2021. The Youth Steering Group is made up of 11 Young Champions, who are young people, aged 18-30, that live in the West Midlands – you can meet them by clicking here.
Participation People are an award-winning youth voice, engagement, and participation organisation. The Participation People team provide training, alongside pastoral care, to the Young Champions, as well as support to develop their professional relationships with their business mentors.
The Youth Steering Group is supported by representatives of Movement to Work’s employer network who offer their time as business mentors to the Young Champions and also create personal development opportunities to local young people.
Through this interconnected web of collaborative organisations, the ‘Stand Out’ Project can be reviewed and evaluated in a non-traditional way, by the demographic it seeks to serve.
Some of our Young Champions from the Stand Out Youth Steering Group celebrating Movement to Work’s Youth Summit at the top of the BT Tower.
ANDY STREET, MAYOR OF THE WEST MIDLANDS
“It’s great to see young people leading the Stand Out programme, helping other young people to take advantage of the work and volunteering opportunities from the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
“Thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, we’re working with our partners to provide targeted support for disadvantaged young people and communities who have been hardest hit by the pandemic.
“Making sure that the jobs created by the Games go to local people is a key part of my jobs plan to help more than 100,000 residents into employment over the next two years, and is also critical to ensuring the Commonwealth Games is a Games for everyone.”
Ashley Harper and Nicola Reid, Movement to Work Stand Out Project Leads
“Hearing the Youth Voice is so very important as Millennials and Gen Z are unlike any generation that has gone before. They are blazing a trail for the generations who are next to come and hold key attributes for evolution, growth and improvement.”
“Without youth participation questions such as “why?” and “why not?” may not be asked and we are encouraged to reflect and respond with solutions and action to perceived challenges. Our Stand Out Youth Steering Group have encouraged us to think, in detail, about improvements not only to the core Stand Out project under review, but the way in which we conduct ourselves as professionals, how we undertake ‘business like meetings’ and how we present information or data from a truly inclusive standpoint.”
“Our youth steering group has also reminded us to keep things light-hearted, to not get too bogged down in timeslots and agenda items and to remember above all, communication is key. We have learned so much from our time on this initiative so far, and can’t wait to see what the Young Champions achieve for not only the project, but themselves in the months to come.”
Get involved!
For more information about the Stand Out programme Youth Steering Group and how to get involved please email: [email protected]
For more information about the Stand Out programme, jobs and volunteering for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games click here.
