A new film captures the voices of our young people

Nick Alston, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, is delighted to launch ‘Generation SX’ – a short film capturing the views and experiences of young people across the county on key issues to do with crime, and their sense of safety.

You can view the film here:

The idea developed from the feedback of young people who attended the PCC’s first Youth conference held in early July 2014, who suggested a film would be a great way of capturing more research as to how other young people felt in their communities. The idea was then taken forward by ten inaugural members of the PCC’s youth council, all of whom attended the conference and worked with the PCC to design the format for the film, as well as taking on roles of interviewers and project managers.

Two members of the youth forum, Evangeline Foster and Abbie Bauckham met with the PCC on Tuesday 21st October to ask him his thoughts on the feedback captured in the film, and his aspirations for what more can be done. Nick Alston spoke of the optimism but also the concern that came across strongly in the film, and the critical need for all decision makers in Essex to listen to the messages, explaining that unless we get it right for young people now, we will undoubtedly get things wrong for the long term. You can listen to the full interview here:

Nick Alston said of the project: “It is fascinating to hear the voices of so many young people in the county in this way and I would urge anyone who works with and for young people in Essex to listen to these messages. I’m hugely grateful to all the young people involved for helping us to make this, and for taking responsibility for ensuring that young people aren’t just talked to but are really listened to. This is only the beginning and I am looking forward to continuing to work with young people to develop more projects that will put them at the heart of education and decision making. If any other young people are interested in getting involved with our youth forum and other similar projects please do contact my office, we would love to hear from you.”

Since its completion, the film has also formed the opening part of a morning of partnership workshops which gathered key decision makers from across Essex all responsible for critical areas of youth services, including youth offending teams, Essex Police, schools, probation services, Essex County Council and the community and voluntary sector. Participants in the workshops were asked to consider the views of young people expressed in the film, and then discuss how we can work better in partnership to improve opportunities and outcomes for young people. A number of key areas for development and recommendations came out of those workshops, which will now be taken forward by a partnership working group to explore how they can be implemented to improve the support and opportunities available for young people in all parts of the county.