On 21st January the young people in our Peer Action Collective project present research findings into school exclusions and youth violence to Janet Daby MP at Tottenham Town Hall.
Collaborative discussion
The young people working on the Peer Action Collective (PAC) London project were joined by MP, Janet Daby for a collaborative discussion around youth violence. On 21st January at Tottenham Town Hall the young people set up a ‘world café’ style event where the minister and her team could learn about the PAC project, its most recent research findings and its vision for the future.
The Peer Action Collective is a network of young peer researchers and social action leads who are tackling youth violence. PAC London is made up of McPin, Peace Alliance, Young Foundation and the Youth Endowment Fund.
At PAC London, we’re interested in finding out how schools can be involved in the solution to youth violence. Our first phase of research was focused on school exclusions. We asked: “What support helps young people before, during, and after a form of school exclusion to be protected from youth violence?” The second phase of research will focus on young people’s mental health.
On the day, we shared our findings from over 70 young people on their experiences of exclusions. After discussing our research report and our ‘Better Exclusions Journey Map, we talked about holistic support around exclusions. The young people explained how they are working to implement our findings in schools.
Social action is an important part of the work and is led by the young people of PAC. We were able to share with Janet that the team is finalising an interactive film, Xcluded, that is based on our research findings. It will play a key part in our future workshops with teachers and students.
It felt empowering to have someone like Janet acknowledge the value of our efforts. The idea of turning our efforts into substantial and powerful action was motivating, and Janet support was incredibly encouraging.
Kyan
Young People’s reflections
Kyan and Chrisel shared their thoughts on their meeting with Janet.
Kyan:
One moment that really stood out was when we shared with Janet our idea for starting a teacher training program and I could see that it piqued her interest. She seemed genuinely excited by the initiative, as it aligned with the spirit of social action and community driven change. It felt empowering to have someone like Janet acknowledge the value of our efforts. The idea of turning our efforts into substantial and powerful action was motivating, and Janet support was incredibly encouraging.
I also hoped that the visit would help her understand the deeper mission behind our work, our goal, to create change from within. Getting her on board with our vision felt crucial because change starts at the grassroots level, and her backing would add momentum to our mission.
Chrisel:
It is very good that she took the time to come and visit our team as it reassures us that we aren’t the only ones with these concerns and there are people with more authority working on it. I would like to see Janet Daby mention us sometime, where we will be recognised for working with the community.
What’s next?
The young people finished their time with Janet by presenting her with four asks based on their own experiences and the work they have done in the community:
- Attend the film launch of the interactive film, Xcluded, in order to discuss how we integrate this into schools.
- Work with us to further embed youth voice into the Department for Education
- Invite us, and other youth-led organisations, to be part of your mission-based approach to ‘Taking Back Our Streets’
- Come back in 6 months’ time to hear what we find out about the link between mental health and youth violence
The Peer Action Collective (PAC) is funded by the Youth Endowment Fund, the #iwill Fund (a joint investment between The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) and the Co-op.
As the local Delivery Partners in London, McPin and the Peace Alliance work to support young people to take the lead in designing and delivering peer research and social action.
Read more about PAC on the McPin project page, and visit the PAC website.
