![Group of young people from the VRU's Young People's Action Group](/sites/default/files/styles/page_header_sm/public/2022-12/Group%20of%20young%20people%20from%20the%20VRU%27s%20Young%20People%27s%20Action%20Group_2232x1800_VRU_5Dec22.jpg?h=5bca3f87&itok=qUQABQu7)
Young People's Action Group (YPAG)
The Young People’s Action Group (YPAG) works alongside London’s VRU to ensure the voice, opinions and ideas of young people influence policy and funding decisions.
The YPAG is a group of young people from across London with ‘lived experience of violence’ or who had campaigned on youth issues. The aim of the YPAG is to amplify the voices of young Londoners whilst supporting them to lead change.
What does the YPAG do?
The YPAG’s work is structured around themes including parenting, policing, communication, school and youth work. The group, aged from 15-24, get involved with activities, including panel discussions, consultations, service reviews, and have the freedom to propose and lead on projects themselves.
The YPAG’s work programme is focused on three thematic priorities:
-
Changing the story on school exclusion. This includes hosting themed seminars, led and hosted by young people on how to increase school attendance and improving young people’s experience within the education system.
-
Online harms experienced by children and young people.
-
Developing effective pathways for young people into employment and further education. This includes access to mentoring, careers, education and training advice and opportunities for networking with professionals and business across a range of industries in London.
-
Advocating and leading on programmes focused on amplifying the voices and experiences of young women and girls.
![Member of VRU's Young People's Action Group speaking at Youth Takeover Day](/sites/default/files/styles/cta_component_sm/public/2023-01/e46471f1-400e-4b83-a86d-99ef0fba19e4.jpg?h=6194a727&itok=XBXgDnMs)
Join the Group
Applications for the Young People's Action Group are open now until 23 February 2024.
Find out moreAchievements
The YPAG play a crucial role in scrutinising the work of the VRU and its partners to ensure investments and policies are delivered with maximum impact for young people and communities.
The young people have been recognised for their work by Skills Builder who have awarded an Impact Level 4. Based on the work Skills Builders have been doing around bringing a focus on essential skills for the young people to consider their application in a range of contexts, together with explicit opportunities for reflection and tracking progress, this has been awarded an Impact Level 4.
Youth Takeover Day
Playing this video will set cookies from YouTube/Google
Alongside this, the YPAG has:
-
Led in the commissioning design of a £4 million tender for Children and Young People Online Harm fund, focused on providing support to frontline practitioners and trusted to be better equipped to support young people online whilst also providing mentoring and training to young Londoners to be work ready.
-
Organised a Youth Takeover Day event at City Hall for over 200 young Londoners. The event brought together young Londoners, industry leaders, employers, and partners for an afternoon of networking, opportunities, and hearing young people’s voices.
-
Designed and facilitated workshops for chief executives and senior leaders across the UK within the topic area of Tackling Childhood Exploitation
-
Supported a range of VRU partners by co-designing programmes and materials including Missing People’s ‘Is This Ok?’ campaign and the Advance mentoring programme.
-
Led in the shortlisting of over 460 applications for the Young People's Action Group recruitment campaign.
-
Co-designed and led on youth voice at the VRU’s first Education Summit.
-
Designed and led training to other young Londoners focused on improving their online health in partnership with Social Switch/Catch 22.
-
Provided youth voice to several boards across the VRU and the GLA including the Trusted Adult Board and the Sports Fund.
'We wanted to equip young people working with the VRU to think big and brave and bridge the gaps between young people, services and experts.'
Current members of the YPAG
We recruited 13 young people to the YPAG this year. They are joined by nine other members from last year’s cohort, who move to the second year of the programme to further their work and support the new group.
- Princess Kunadu, 17, Barking and Dagenham
- Yasmin Blake, 17, Newham
- Mateusz Jablonowski, 17, Barking and Dagenham
- Kulsum Miyanjee, 18, Redbridge
- Olivia Opara, 20, Haringey
- Safa Mehmood, 19, Redbridge
- Angel Gillam, 18, Islington
- J Grange, 21, Waltham Forest
- Jhemar Jonas, 21, Lambeth
- Clara Akingbade, 18, Barnet
- Zubin Burley, 16, Barking and Dagenham
- Razanne Bardou, 17, Haringey
- Rihana Zaman, 16, Enfield
Cohort 3, who remain as second year members of the YPAG:
- Kai Bibi, 19, from Havering
- Jonas Andrew-Phillip, 22, from Lewisham
- Gideon Baker, 17, from Barnet
- Mya-Chloé Davis, 18, from Greenwich
- Mya Douglas, 19, from Croydon
- Reannah Britto, 21, from Lewisham
- Shannon Cockle, 20, Bexley
- Zara Hossain, 18, from Barking and Dagenham
- Miriam Krygier, 17, from Barnet
Need a document on this page in an accessible format?
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of a PDF or other document on this page in a more accessible format, please get in touch via our online form and tell us which format you need.
It will also help us if you tell us which assistive technology you use. We’ll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.