“We hope to create a unified platform to elevate and action the voices of our young people”
Fight for Peace is a Newham-based charity which uses martial arts to inspire young people to reach their full potential. We recently supported the charity to develop and implement a youth leadership strategy, which puts young people at the heart of the charity. Ultimately, the organisation hopes to be able to share this work with other community organisations, improving youth engagement practices across the wider sector. Our funding has enabled 10 young people to contribute to the development of Fight for Peace's youth leadership strategy.
Adrian de León, Partnerships Manager at Fight for Peace, describes why they are so passionate about bringing youth voices to the forefront.
"Fight for Peace works to help realise the potential of young people living in communities affected by inequality and violence. At our Academy in Newham, we provide sport for development sessions alongside additional support services, to ensure participants receive the opportunities to build the skills and positive relationships they need to lead peaceful and productive lives.
Our Youth Leadership pillar is spearheaded by our Youth Council who meet on a bi-weekly basis to discuss and share their views and experience at Fight for Peace. The Youth Council regularly meets with our CEO, Jenny Oklikah, to discuss the delivery and impact of the programmes. It’s also embedded in our recruitment process and interviews all prospective employees. We have worked hard to deepen the impact of our Youth Leadership work and ensure we remain a user-led organisation.
With support from the Berkeley Foundation, we have developed our Youth Leadership strategy; a document that reflects our commitment to providing young people with the power and opportunity to shape our delivery. The vision is to ensure we develop and strengthen young people's skills, whilst providing the right environment to empower their voice. Furthermore, we wish to develop a youth leadership training for all staff members, so that we can embed youth voice in the wider Academy. We hope to then create a unified platform to elevate and action the voices of our young people.”