What started as a school project is now real-life as ideas from young people have been listened to and implemented by the youth service Fearless, part of Crimestoppers UK.
How Kibble and Fearless Teamed Up
At the beginning of last year, our pupils learned more about charities, fundraising and what a community is. Young people got into groups and chose a local charity to advocate for, delivering a presentation on why their chosen cause deserved a donation as part of The Youth Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) by The Wood Foundation.
After hearing directly from youngsters about the life-changing difference charities have on people, the judging panel decided the team representing Fearless was most deserving of the grant.
About Fearless?
Fearless enables young people to pass on information about crime 100% anonymously. There can be many reasons why young people feel apprehensive about reporting a crime but this is a way for them to safely share what they know with adults who can help.
What the Younger Generation Changed for the Better
As a youth service, our pupils had their own thoughts about what people their age would respond and connect to. Their opinions were valid as they are the exact age range who the service is designed for.
Fearless were open-minded to young people being so candid about potential changes and used the YPI grant to implement the youth-led redesign. Updates to the online reporting form involved creating three clear, manageable sections. The wording was made simpler with an option of having the questions read-aloud through a new text-to-speech function. Overall, we wanted to make sure the online form was easier to complete and accessible to everyone needing it.
The power young people have to make a difference cannot be overlooked. Pupils have shown how valuable their insights can be when creating resources for others their age.
Campaigns Led by Young People
Fearless have first-hand experience of incorporating young people’s input and strives to keep it central to their work. Kibble fully supports young people having their voice heard, knowing that messaging created by young people for young people are more likely to make sense and resonate.
The shared understand of putting young people first led to a Kibble young person becoming an audio performer. The young voice actor narrated a Fearless video campaign! The script was spoken by a genuine young person, which vastly increased the impact. The young voice made the campaign feel authentic with the intended audience paying attention to the life-changing lessons Fearless is promoting.
When engaging young people in the development of youth campaigns, resources and services the information is more likely to leave an impression with the target audience.