4 June 2020
My name Is Liv, I’m 17 years old, a member of Wigan Youth Zone and have been since the age of 10. Since my first day, I can honestly say I’ve loved every minute. I would recommend attending a youth club to every young person who is looking for somewhere to go, someone to speak to and somewhere to have fun. It’s my second home.
Being a part of Wigan Youth Zone has bought out the best of me and helped in so many aspects of my life, especially with my mental health and as a result of this I have become more confident. I used to play for Wigan Athletic Ladies, and Wigan Youth Zone have continued to nurture my interest in sport. I now have the opportunity to pursue a career in sport with my apprenticeship at Wigan Athletic Community Trust.
So what is the future for young people?
As we all come to the conclusion things might never be the same again, I can also see that we all be stronger, resilient and will appreciate each other a more. When lockdown ends, I think schools should implement additional support for their students mental health. This could include offering 1-1 support or personalising the learning of specific individuals that may be struggling with the changes coming out of the pandemic.
Communities and councils should put services in place to help young people who may have suffered lock-down alone, or felt isolated, and don’t know how to reach out.
So why do I think the voice if young people is important?
As a young person, I truly believe young people have an incredibly important voice which needs to be heard. We’re a part of society and the leaders of tomorrow.
At Wigan Youth Zone, I am a part of their youth voice, which consists of a group of people meeting up once a week to discuss what we think is the biggest issue right now and how do we put actions in place to solve this.
In this current situation, it’s essential to get the young voices heard whether that be them opening up about how they are feeling or whether it be what do they think the future will hold post-lock-down.
How can we improve things for young people?
I believe the best change that can be made is to get more young voices heard whether that be at a youth club or youth Parliament, every voice matters!