Young underachievers meet with ministers

- Daniel Hutt for User Voice

User Voice recently invited a group of ten young people who find it difficult to engage with formal education and who have experience of abuse, neglect, educational underachievement and drugs and alcohol to London. Some have come into contact with youth justice and the others are at risk of doing so. 
 
After a photo call outside No.10 and a tour of the Prime Minister’s residence (believe me, I was excited as them!), the pupils were joined by politicians and civil servants to discuss the gap between policy and reality. 
 
It was both frightening and heartening at the same time. Frightening because of the huge gap that exists between what our policymakers think is happening and the reality, but heartening because they are prepared to listen. One of them summed it up brilliantly: 
 
“Meeting the ministers was amazing and their priorities were different to mine but I think that they just don’t understand. I told them that I don’t want a youth club to be good at sport I want to get a drugs worker and have a future. I told them that my Dad is a dealer and I look after all the kids in my house and that I don’t know how to change my future, I wanna change my future and I think we all do. I hope we changed their minds and we get listened to not just us but for all the people like us.”
 
Not only was the day meant to educate the politicians and policymakers, but also to inspire the young people to make a change in their own lives. I will leave you with a few of the quotes from them that show that this needs to be the beginning of a dialogue and not a one off:
 
“I loved being on that terrace it was like I was worthy or something and Im not worthy and Im ugly but I felt special and I cried. I wanted to tell my mom and Lord Patel borrowed me his phone and I phoned her from there and she cried as well I am grateful for that and it was amazing and it makes me want to change my life.”