As always, the agenda was bursting with big conversations, an all-important guest speaker, and gallons of coffee! It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces, and lots of new ones too, come together to share, learn and connect.
This year, we continued our collective efforts to shape national policy and welcomed guest speaker Kirby Swales, the Deputy Director for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), who are currently leading the delivery of the National Youth Strategy and Young Futures Hubs.
Kirby shared the Government’s key priorities for young people and youth services, exploring the background of the National Youth Strategy and upcoming plans for Young Futures Hubs. Members shared their expertise and crucial insights with Kirby, discussing how the sector can play an active role in shaping policy and decision-making. We reflected that what is often pitched as 'radical', 'new' ways of working with young people are already well-established approaches within members' services. Our members and the youth advice and counselling sector are experts in this field, and their extensive experience in blending early intervention support and youth work with counselling and mental health support will be vital to the Government's Young Futures Hubs programme.
Following this, we focused on shaping Youth Access's Quality and Improvement programme resources and knowledge exchange sessions, where attendees voted for topics through a crowdsourcing activity that looked like musical statues - and was equally fun!
The top topic, perhaps unsurprisingly, was youth voice! And members were able to share what's working for them, what's not and exchange recommendations. Our other winning topics included funding and energising staff in periods of uncertainty.
Of course, the highlight of the Member Meet is the people, and it was a joy to see so much collaboration, honesty, and support - and be reminded of what makes this community so special.
Our event gallery says it best: laughter, discussion, teamwork, and plenty of moments that showed the real strength of our community.
View Gallery
We’re already looking forward to next year. Until then, keep the momentum going by signing up for our policy, influencing, and research newsletter, and keep an eye out for our upcoming online webinars.
Thank you to Zappi for generously donating their space for the event.
