How a group of Young Influencers are shaping Pass It On
Last week, young people from five of our member services got together over Zoom to shape our youth leadership project, Pass It On
Last week, young people from five of our member services got together over Zoom to shape our youth leadership project, Pass It On. Dami, Youshi, Sandile, Sophie and Sadé each contributed their time, experience and knowledge to the project, helping us to create a digital community space that’s truly youth-led - now, and in the future.
Our inaugural group of Young Influencers advised us on subjects including the kind of content they look for online and what makes them turn off, how to stay safe as a young person online, and the kinds of features they would look for in an inclusive, equitable space. We co-created community guidelines designed to make the space safe, inclusive, thriving and stress-free, and discussed how more and more ownership can be handed over to young people as the community grows.
Ideas and observations included:
- Auto-translating the page and content into different languages to make it accessible for people with English as a second language.
- Accounting for different learning styles by having content in a range of formats.
- The group expressed a desire for people in the community not to be anonymous to make it easier for others to engage, but also to have the option of anonymity in certain circumstances.
- Having the option of mentoring from people in the community you admire.
- The Pass It On space is well laid out, the colours look inviting and “you can’t help but want to engage”.
- To make sure community members know that the space is youth-led, have a page that introduces you to the Young Influencers.
- When moderating the space is passed onto young people, have a mentoring period to help them pick up the skills.
Pass It On, funded by The Berkeley Foundation, is based on the knowledge that young people want to share their skills to help others, to learn from people with relatable lived experience, and to connect with people on their own wavelength. It’s a digital community space that emphasises sharing, learning and skill development, with young people increasingly at the helm.
Thanks to Enfield Foyer, YMCA Derbyshire, Heather Court, Croydon Foyer and Sapphire Community Group for getting involved!
We’re looking for organisations to share their skills, and young people from our network to join and invest in the community and space. If you’d like to find out how you can join the movement, contact [email protected].
