Five perspectives on why young voices matter
12 August 2019
Today is the 20th annual International Youth Day, designated by the United Nations. We asked five of the members of our youth advisory board, Dare London, why young voices matter. Here’s what they had to say.
“Despite living in a democracy, not everyone has a voice.
I believe only young people can truly help improve the lives of other young people because we know their struggles. We can be part of the solution by speaking out.
Young voices are positive and inspire change.” – Orla
“Our voices matter. Although we only make up 25% of the population, we make up 100% of the future. So if our voices aren’t heard then we are jeopardising our future.” – Jessie
“Simply, young people’s voices matter because we are the face of tomorrow. In a few years time we will be the adults having to make decisions. When you are young, you have time to grow and develop. By giving us a voice we can learn and gain a better understanding of the world.” – Maya
“I think that young people’s voices matter because we know what it’s like to be part of this generation and the problems we are faced with. Whether that’s mental health, violence or even employability, we give perspective that older people might not understand. We are the ones who know what we’re going through.” – Shakira
“We are the future, whether we like it or not! Currently, we make up about a quarter of the population and we can give bright, intuitive ideas that will benefit generations to come.” – Elena
About Dare London
Our youth advisory board, Dare London, is a youth-led collective of young people aged 13-25, who together support the work of London Youth. They represent young people from different backgrounds, living in boroughs across the capital.
London Youth is looking for young people who are passionate about making an impact and having a say on the future of the capital to join Dare London, our youth advisory board, starting in September 2019.
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