Peer Power Youth is based in London and South East and works in the community with young people and partner organisations such as youth justice services. Chill and Skills sessions (funded by the Westminster Foundation) were designed and delivered with young people from our office base at x+why Fivefields, Victoria with some online sessions. Peer Power Youth’s specialism is leading with empathy and co-production so all sessions were co-designed and co-delivered by young people for young people.
Peer Power Youth is a youth led charity that works in London and South East with young people aged 10–25 who have experienced trauma, including abuse, neglect, exclusion, and injustice. We are an empathy-driven organisation working to transform services by inspiring young people with lived experience to have a voice. Young people with lived experience of the care and justice systems: young people who experience violence, poverty, discrimination, and exclusion, for some this is a part of daily life. Many have experienced abuse, neglect, and societal injustice from an early age. For them, the care or youth justice systems were not chosen pathways, they were consequences of unaddressed trauma. In addition they are navigating rapid brain changes and transitions through adolescence.
Chill and Skill sessions give our Young Partners the opportunity to share and try new skills and activities, inspiring them and raising their aspirations, as well as giving them the opportunity to share their own skills with their peers. Our Young Partners co-create and co-deliver the sessions, deciding on the content they want to cover and how this will be delivered to them, bringing in artists and specialists to facilitate sessions as required. For some of our Young Partners, this will be the first time that they have been able to use their agency in this way; giving them the self-confidence to move from participating in our youth voice work to leading it. We are an AQA accreditation provider, where appropriate we will award young people with accreditation for their involvement. Sessions were usually held at x+why Fivefields, where Young partners co-designed and delivered a range of cultural and creative activities, including:
Before joining Peer Power Youth, just 12% of young partners are in education, employment or training – and many of those are in low paid insecure work. 100% of the young people we connect with have experienced anxiety and self-esteem issues. Young Partners at Peer Power told us that they wanted more sessions that they led themselves and to increase our cultural and creative offer to support improvements in their emotional well-being and confidence, gaining new skills and raising aspirations.
Through connecting with Peer Power Youth, 92% of young people are in education, training or employment within 6 months. 90% reported improvements in self-esteem, confidence and well-being. Staff and young partners reported improved trust and relationships. 93% developed skills and improved their aspirations as a result of the sessions. 7 Young Partners or Peer Leaders gained an AQA Unit Award in Public Speaking.
Through Chill and Skill, one Young Partner was able to access a producer to make her an exclusive beat and she performed for the first time at our Annual Awards! Young Partners developed their confidence, leadership and facilitation skills through designing and delivering peer to peer workshops in the community. Young people found the theatre trip, (to see “For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy”) inspiring, moving and relatable and said it unified them in their understanding of different ways of expressing and understanding blackness and masculinity.
Peer Power Youth is a youth led charity that works with young people aged 10–25 who have experienced trauma, including abuse, neglect, exclusion, and injustice.
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